Xi Jinping. / Photo: AFP
The Chinese Foreign Ministry indicated that China supports Russia’s efforts to protect national stability, in a first reaction by the Chinese government to the rebellion of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner against the Kremlin.
* 100003*As a friendly neighbor and strategic partner, China supports Russia in its efforts to protect the country’s stability, develop and achieve prosperity, the ministry said in a statement.
What happened in Russia is an internal matter , added the note, reported the AFP news agency.
This is China’s first official reaction to the situation in Russia, where Wagner’s boss, Yevgueni Prigozhin, challenged with his militias -in a period of 24 hours – to the authority of the Russian president, before turning back and withdrawing his troops, who had advanced until they reached some 400 kilometers south of Moscow, to settle in Belarus.
In this context , Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko was received by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.
A little earlier, the Russian government had stated that, during that meeting, China had expressed its support to President Putin’s efforts to stabilize the situation after the Wagner rebellion.
China-Russia relations have strengthened in recent years, especially as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, which led Russia to strengthen their alliances in Asia to compensate for their isolation in the West.
The Wagner paramilitary group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin revolted against the military commanders loyal to the Kremlin and occupied the border city of Rostov, from where they continued their march towards Moscow .
The Wagner paramilitary group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin revolted against the military commanders loyal to the Kremlin and occupied the border city of Rostov, from where they continued their march towards Moscow
The paramilitary group has played a key role alongside the Russian Army in the offensive in Ukraine.
In the uprising, Prigozhin frontally challenged Putin’s authority, after denouncing that the Defense Minister and the head of the Russian Armed Forces had ordered a bombardment against their positions in Ukraine that left dozens of combatants dead.
Prigozhin frontally challenged Putin’s authority, after denouncing that the Defense Minister and the head of the Russian Armed Forces had ordered a bombardment against their positions in Ukraine that left dozens of fighters dead
The militia chief claimed that he entered Russia with his troops to depose the Russian military command, and that he and his 25,000 men are ready to die in their mission.
The uprising announced by Prigozhin led to a strong warning from Putin, who promised an exemplary punishment for the former ally of the regular Army on the battlefront in Ukraine.
However, the group withdrew , after an abrupt agreement with the Kremlin for Prigozhin to go into exile in Belarus.
Prigozhin said he was ending the rebellion to avoid a bloodbath.
The pact snuffed out the biggest challenge to Putin in his more than 20 years in power in Russia, but the revolt exposed vulnerabilities among Russian forces just at the height of the war in Ukraine.
