Moscow, 24 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken of "armed mutiny" after the uprising by the head of the Wagner mercenary army, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and has told the rebels they will face "inevitable punishment" in a televised address to the nation on Saturday.

Putin has called in a televised address for the punishment of the masterminds behind the "armed mutiny" that he described as a "betrayal" of Russia.

"Any internal strife poses a fatal threat to our statehood
and us as a nation; it is a blow to Russia and its people," the Russian state news agency TASS quoted Putin as saying.

"Our actions to protect our homeland will be tough. Everyone
who deliberately took the path of betrayal and prepared an
armed rebellion, who took the path of blackmail and adopted
terrorist methods, will face imminent punishment. They will
be held accountable before the law and the people," TASS cited Putin as saying.

"The armed forces and other government agencies have received all the necessary orders," Putin said.

The president called on the Wagner fighters to immediately end their participation in criminal acts. He confirmed that Prigozhin had occupied military installations in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

Photo: EPA