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Russia to maintain military ties with Central African Republic — Kremlin

"We will maintain this cooperation. Moreover, if necessary, the required number of staff of our military advisers will continue carrying out their duties," Dmitry Peskov noted

MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. Russia will maintain its military cooperation with the Central African Republic (CAR) and the required staff of military advisers will stay there, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Asked at a news briefing whether forces of the Wagner private military company (PMC), who are already stationed there, would be replaced by other military formations upon Russia’s initiative, Peskov replied that "we enjoy cooperation with the Central African Republic at the governmental level and this is enshrined by relevant agreements."

"We will maintain this cooperation. Moreover, if necessary, the required number of staff of our military advisers will continue carrying out their duties," Peskov added.

British business daily the Financial Times reported earlier in the week, citing unnamed CAR diplomats, that the African state did not notice any obvious changes in the level of its domestic security following the attempted armed mutiny by Wagner PMC troops in Russia this past week.

Fidele Gouandjika, a top adviser for Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera, told the British daily that the republic would be ready to cooperate with any military formation from Russia should Moscow decide to withdraw Wagner fighters from CAS.

The Telegram channel of Wagner private military company founder Yevgeny Prigozhin posted several audio recordings containing statements he made on the evening of June 23, in which he claimed that strikes had allegedly been delivered against his formations, accusing the country’s military leadership of doing so.

The Russian Defense Ministry dismissed this information as false. The units of the Wagner private military company that supported Prigozhin moved towards the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and Moscow.

In the wake of all this, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia opened a criminal case into a call for an armed mutiny. In a televised address to the nation on June 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Wagnerites’ actions a betrayal.

Later, upon agreement with the Russian leader, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held negotiations with Prigozhin, following which the Wagner private military company pulled back its military columns and returned to its field camps. The FSB press office announced on June 27 that the criminal case had been terminated.

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