Crisis center activated, border cordoned off, call to protect civilians… Reactions have been pouring in since Yevgeny Prigojine said on Saturday that he was holding the headquarters of the Russian army in Rostov and controlling several military sites.
Usually focused on Ukraine, the eyes of diplomats turn to Russia, Saturday, June 24, after the rebellion of the leader of the Wagner militia, Evguéni Prigojine, against the Russian regular troops. Exchanges have taken place between the foreign ministers of the main Western capitals, who all say they are monitoring the situation “from close”. First steps have been taken in Latvia, which has closed its border with Russia.
>> War in Ukraine: follow live the latest news on the rebellion of the Wagner group in Russia
Echoing this, Russia warned Western countries against any attempt to “to profit from” of the situation to push their plans “russophobes”assuring that the mutiny would not prevent Moscow from“achieve its goals” in Ukraine.
G7 countries meet for an “exchange of views”
G7 foreign ministers met to “exchange their views on the situation in Russia”, announced the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, without giving details on the content of these exchanges. Berlin confirmed this meeting of the main Western economic powers (Germany, Canada, United States, France, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom). The United States then made it known that it intended “stay in close coordination with their allies and partners as the situation continues to evolve” in Russia.
The EU activates its “crisis response center”
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said he had activated the EU’s “crisis response center” to coordinate exchanges between the Twenty-Seven, ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers scheduled for Monday in Luxembourg. The event is “an internal Russian problem”he temporized, while declaring to follow the situation “carefully”.
Same story on the side of the Elysée, where Emmanuel Macron “following the situation closely”, as did the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. In Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz “keeps informed at all times”, according to its services. The German Foreign Ministry has updated its travel advice, recommending “to avoid downtown Moscow until further notice”as well as “government facilities, especially military”.
The Czech Republic reacted with irony. “Here, we finally know what the Russians meant by a special operation. After 16 months of war in Ukraine, Russia is waging war on Russia”said Defense Minister Jana Cernochova. “It’s no surprise. It’s a tradition with them. Failed wars always end in the execution of the Tsar, followed by chaos and a civil war overseen by Secret Service spies.”
Latvia locks its border with Russia
Latvian President-elect Edgars Rinkevics has announced that his country will no longer allow Russians to enter its territory. “Border security has been reinforced”he tweeted, specifying that the issuance of visas or the entry of Russians coming from Russia was suspended.
Further south, Nordic countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark reacted through their respective foreign ministers. The first two said “closely follow the development of the situation in Russia”. Norway also advises against all travel to Russia. As for Denmark, it recommends to its citizens currently in Russia “to stay inside, (to) wait and (to) inform oneself through media such as Itar-Tass”.
UK calls for ‘protecting civilians’
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called “all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians”adding that he was monitoring the situation “from close” and that he would speak with some of the UK’s allies later in the day. “In the coming hours, the loyalty of the Russian security forces, in particular the Russian National Guard, will be essential for the outcome of the crisis”analyzed the Minister of Defense, Ben Wallace. “This represents the most important challenge for the Russian state in recent times”according to him.
Belarus deplores a “gift made to the West”
This “internal conflict in the military ranks” east russian “a gift made to the West”said the Belarusian National Security Council on Saturday in a statement made public by the diplomacy of this Russian ally country. “It can end in a disaster”he added, calling to listen “the voice of reason”.
Moscow claims support from Turkey
According to the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin received the “full support” of his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a telephone interview. The Russian President has “provided information on the situation in the country in connection with an attempted armed rebellion”according to his services, and the Turkish President “expressed its full support for the measures taken” by Vladimir Putin.