Moscow, 27 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) – President Vladimir Putin has for the first time acknowledged that the Wagner Group - which mutinied at the weekend - is fully funded by the Russian state.

"We financed this group entirely," Putin said during a meeting with troops, the Interfax news agency reported.

The group, which describes itself as a private military company, had received a total of 86.26 billion roubles ($1.01 billion) from the state budget in the 12 months to May this year, Putin said.

The director of the National Guard of Russia, Viktor Zolotov, has called for his force to be equipped with armour and heavy long-range weapons following the Wagner Group mutiny over the weekend. Zolotov said that while the guard, which is responsible for domestic order, had artillery and attack helicopters at its disposal, it lacked weapons of this kind.

He said the guard had focused on the access roads into Moscow during the mutiny and that while the Wagner Group could have approached the capital, "they could not have taken Moscow." The 200,000-strong guard was set up by Putin in 2016 and is directly subject to presidential orders.

Zolotov, who is seen as close to Putin, accused Western intelligence agencies of organizing the mutiny - in a bid to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Of course, the mutiny was prepared and inspired by Western intelligence services, as they knew – as they have said – that they knew about it a few weeks beforehand," he said.

Photo: Archive