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Top Russian official, on Delhi visit, says situation stable after Wagner's aborted ‘coup’
Following months of public bickering with Russia’s military leadership, Prigozhin’s fighters had taken control of the military hub of Rostov-on-Don.
NEW DELHI: Days after Wagner force chief Yevgeny Prigozhin mounted a short-lived rebellion, a senior Russian official on Monday said the situation in the country was stable and President Vladimir Putin had a firm grip on power.
Following months of public bickering with Russia’s military leadership, Prigozhin’s fighters had taken control of the military hub of Rostov-on-Don, located near the border with Ukraine, and begun marching towards Moscow on Saturday. The mutiny ended after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko brokered a truce with Prigozhin.
Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russia’s special presidential representative for international cultural cooperation, told reporters in New Delhi that the Russian people were united in the face of the danger posed by Prigozhin’s actions.
“The current situation in Russia is stable and the contemporary position of President Putin is absolutely stable. You must know the Russian common psychology – we are united when a danger appears, and I think the situation now is stable,” said Shvydkoy, who also served as minister for culture.
“Lot of people expected this would be a good chance for the Ukrainian military, but this is not true. The situation, more or less, is the same as before,” he added.
Shvydkoy said, in his personal opinion, the incident involving Prigozhin was not entirely unexpected because an “uncontrolled strong power” is not good for the state. Life in most parts of Russia, including Moscow, is now back to normal.
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Shvydkoy is in India to firm up cooperation in a range of areas, including education, agriculture, technology, biotechnology and medicines. Russia is keen to bolster relations in science and education, especially between the universities of the two countries. Russian universities are also interested in opening branches in India, he said.
Moscow has also proposed to New Delhi that the two sides should observe a “national year”, during which events will be organised in both countries to expose people to all aspects of life in both countries. “We know about yoga and Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi but not about contemporary life in India...On both sides, there isn’t enough knowledge about each other,” he said.
