Video: If the rebels had continued their march towards Moscow, a great bloodshed would have occurred - Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday morning, June 24, to try to resolve the situation peacefully against the backdrop of the armed rebellion attempt by the Wagner private military company. He gave an interview regarding the recent developments in the country.

“Lukashenko proposed during a phone call with President Putin on Saturday morning to try to help solve the issue peacefully to avoid a major bloodshed that would have inevitably occurred if the rebels' forces continued their march towards Moscow. Putin supported this proposal. And you know the outcome,” Lavrov said.

Below are Lavrov's other important statements:

• The failed rebellion will not create difficulties in Russia's relations with its allies.
• Russian special services are already investigating whether Western intelligence services were involved in the situation that arose on June 24.
• Macron saw a clear opportunity in the rebellion situation to realize the threat of Russia's strategic defeat.
• Many partners expressed solidarity with Russia amid the events of June 24, but some requested not to publicly discuss those signals.
• The U.S. ambassador has contacted Russian representatives regarding the events occurring in Russia.
• In discussions with Russian representatives regarding the rebellion situation, the U.S. ambassador stated that it is an internal affair of Russia.
• The U.S. ambassador conveyed signals to Russian representatives that Washington is not involved in the rebellion and hopes that nuclear weapons are kept safe.

It is worth noting that on the evening of June 23, the founder of the Wagner private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was conducting a "march for justice" towards Moscow, which the Russian authorities qualified as an armed rebellion. The situation was managed on the night of June 24. The company’s fighters returned to field camps.