Russian President Vladimir Putin's video was released moments after Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin declared that the nation had suffered "a challenge to its stability" and needed to remain united.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, made his first public appearance since the failed rebellion of a mercenary chief this weekend in a Kremlin video address on Monday. In his speech to a gathering of young people dubbed "Engineers of the future," Putin thanked businesses for guaranteeing "the stable operation" of the nation's industry "in the face of serious external challenges."
It is unclear when or where Putin was when he recorded the statement. He made no mention of the deal in which Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin agreed to stand down his troops and move to Belarus.
BREAKING: Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks for the first time since the Wagner Group mutiny
Ukraine war latest: https://t.co/x5Th89wPuQ
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Putin's video was released moments after Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin declared that the nation had suffered "a challenge to its stability" and needed to remain united behind the Russian President.
In footage run by state-owned news agency Tass, Mishustin said that “under the leadership of the president” government officials worked “harmoniously” to ensure stability in the wake of the mutiny.
"The main thing in these conditions is to ensure the sovereignty and independence of our country, the security and well-being of citizens," said Mishustin, a technocrat who was appointed prime minister in 2020.
"For this, the consolidation of the whole of society is especially important; we need to act together, as one team, and maintain the unity of all forces, rallying around the president," he said.
In another address on Saturday, Putin accused Wagner mercenaries of treason, and called their actions a "stab in the back."