There may be a foreign element in the Wagner affair in Russia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic believes foreign intelligence agencies may have played a role in Wagner tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin's recent coup attempt in Russia.

In an interview with Serbia's Pink TV channel on June 25, Mr. Vucic stressed that Belgrade does not support coups in other countries as a matter of principle.

“We don’t support it in Turkey or Russia, we won’t support it in the United States either,” the Serbian leader explained, adding that governments should only “be changed in elections according to the will of the people.”

“I don’t want to name who the outsiders were involved, but there is no doubt,” the Serbian Head of State continued, referring to “foreign agents” without going into further detail or providing any evidence for his claim.

Mr Vucic said the masterminds behind the failed coup plot devised a cunning tactic that included attacking the Russian president without explicitly saying the attempt was actually aimed at him.

The head of the Belgrade government also said that some of the protesters’ grievances, especially those related to corruption allegations, were legitimate. However, they were not “a reason to stab your country in the back,” he stressed.

World - Serbian President: There may be foreign elements in the Wagner case in Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Moscow, October 2018. Serbia is a traditional ally of Russia. Photo: B92

The Serbian president added that some forces, which he did not specifically name, had “placed high hopes” on the Wagner gunmen’s uprising.

Mr Vucic also praised Mr Putin’s handling of the crisis, saying it had ended thanks to the Russian leader’s “sharp and forceful response”, adding that the Russian president had “an exceptionally challenging task”. “He has to boost the military’s motivation… And none of this will be easy,” Mr Vucic said.

Speaking to the nation on June 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the armed mutiny as a “betrayal” and a “stab in the back” for Russia and its people.

Mr Putin has described the rebels as “traitors” whose actions could be exploited by Moscow’s enemies.

At a time when the country is “waging a fierce struggle for its future”, he said, “any conflict” could be exploited by enemies “to overthrow us from within”.

Meanwhile, Politico reported on June 24 that US officials see events in Russia as opening the door for a Ukrainian counterattack.

The New York Times reported the same day, citing anonymous sources, that before the incident in Russia, US intelligence agencies suspected that the boss of the private military group Wagner was planning a major move against the Russian government.

US President Joe Biden and his administration were reportedly informed of this as early as June 21 – two days before the coup .

Minh Duc ( According to RT, Yahoo!News)

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