China on Monday reaffirmed its support for Russia to deal with its “internal” affairs in its own way.
Chinese Stance
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters on Monday that the Wagner Group incident is Russia’s “internal affair.”
As Russia’s “friendly neighbour and comprehensive strategic partner,” Beijing supports Moscow “in maintaining national stability and achieving development and prosperity,” and believes “in Russia’s ability to do so,” Mao said.
“Our two countries have stayed in close and sound communication at various levels,” she stated.
The Wagner Mutiny
China’s reaffirmation of support comes days after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of Russia’s private mercenary company, the Wagner Group, sent his forces to fight against the Russian military on Saturday and seized control of key military facilities in the southwestern city of Rostov-on-Don, threatening to make his way to Moscow.
However, later, Prigozhin ordered his mercenaries to halt their march to Moscow to avoid bloodshed in Russia.
Asked if leaders of China and Russia have held talks over the Wagner Group incident, Mao Ning said the two countries have maintained close communication at all levels. The incident is an internal affair of Russia. As a friendly neighbor and to promote a comprehensive strategic… pic.twitter.com/4qzw0E0vMB
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) June 26, 2023
Prigozhin also released a video in which he highlighted his rivalry with Russia’s armed forces and, for the first time, publicly contradicted President Vladimir Putin’s primary justification for invading Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin immediately addressed the public, denouncing the coup attempt and warning that the very existence of the Russian state was at stake. He vowed that those on the “path of treason” or armed rebellion would be punished.
Cracks in the System
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the attempted coup by Wagner fighters had exposed fresh “cracks” in the strength of Putin’s leadership, and that the aftereffects of the incident may take weeks or months to play out, Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times said citing a Reuters report.
Blinken also noted that tensions leading up to the coup had been building for months and the threat of internal turmoil could affect Moscow’s military hold over Ukraine.