Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday made a statement to the nation about Saturday's aborted armed mutiny in which he thanked Wagner mercenary fighters and commanders who had stood down to avoid bloodshed.
"From the start of the events, on my orders steps were taken to avoid large-scale bloodshed," Putin said in a televised address, thanking Russians for their "endurance and unity, and patriotism".
"It was precisely this fratricide that Russia's enemies wanted: both the neo-Nazis in Kyiv and their Western patrons, and all sorts of national traitors. They wanted Russian soldiers to kill each other," he said.
Putin said he would honour his promise to allow Wagner fighters to relocate to Belarus if they wanted, or to sign a contract with the Defence Ministry or simply return to their families.
He made no mention of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led the mutiny.
