Russian defence minister says Ukraine operation unaffected by mutiny

A brief mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group last month did not affect Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday, making his first comments about the short-lived rebellion.

Wagner fighters took over the southern Russian city of Rostov and advanced towards Moscow on June 24 as their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin demanded the dismissal of Shoigu and chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov.

The crisis was defused when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko brokered a deal between the Kremlin and Prigozhin.

Shoigu said the mutiny aimed to destabilise Russia, but failed because of troops' loyalty and did not impact the situation on the frontlines.

"The provocation did not affect the actions of army groups (involved in the operation)," he told a ministry meeting.

Gerasimov, who has not appeared in public since the mutiny, was nowhere to be seen in photographs from the meeting published by the defence ministry.