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North Korea voices support for Russia over PMC Wagner mutiny

The vice minister stressed that he has no doubt that Russia’s army and people "will overcome any difficulties and trials" and achieve a "heroic victory" in the course of the special military operation in Ukraine

SEOUL, June 25. /TASS/. North Korea’s foreign ministry has voiced strong support for Russia in the situation around PMC Wagner armed mutiny, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Sunday.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Im Chon Il met on Sunday with Russian Ambassador to Pyongyang Alexander Matsegora. "During the meeting, the vice foreign minister expressed firm belief that the recent armed rebellion in Russia would be successfully put down in conformity with the aspiration and will of the Russian people and pledged that [North Korea] will support any decision and choice by the Russian leadership," it said.

The vice minister stressed that he has no doubt that Russia’s army and people "will overcome any difficulties and trials" and achieve a "heroic victory" in the course of the special military operation in Ukraine.

In the evening of June 23, several audio recordings were posted on PMC Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Telegram channel. In particular, he claimed that his units had been allegedly attacked and blamed the military leadership of the country. In connection with these statements, the Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case over calls for an armed rebellion. The Defense Ministry dismissed the claims about alleged strikes on the "rear camps of the PMC Wagner" as false.

In his address to the nation on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the PMC Wagner’s actions as an armed mutiny and treason and vowed that measures against the trouble-makers would be tough.

Later on Saturday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in coordination with Putin, held talks with Prigozhin, which yielded a de-escalation plan. Later, Prigozhin said that PMC Wagner was halting its advance to Moscow to return back to its field camps. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a criminal case against the Wagner chief would be dropped, while Prigozhin himself would go to Belarus. Besides, the Russian authorities pledged not to prosecute PMC Wagner troops who took part in the mutiny because of their "combat merits.".