US ambassador told Russia US 'not involved' in unrest
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The State Department states that Ambassador Lynne Tracy made it clear to Russia that the US had nothing to do with the situation over the weekend.
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A view of the main building of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia on MAY 14, 2013. (AP)
The US State Department stated on Monday that the US ambassador in Russia contacted the Russian authorities during the weekend to clarify that the US was not involved in the unrest in any way.
According to the State Department, Ambassador Lynne Tracy in Moscow, as well as US officials in Washington, who called the Russian embassy, transmitted the message to Russian authorities on Saturday.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday that the US contacted Russia in order to "reiterate what we said publicly - that this is an internal Russian affair in which the United States is not involved and will not be involved."
Read next: Wagner head to move to Belarus, fighters not to be prosecuted: Kremlin
Tracy and US officials in Washington also stated that they "expected Russia to uphold its obligations to protect our embassy and protect diplomatic personnel" in Moscow, according to Miller.
The Chief of Russia's Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, broke his silence in a Telegram audio message two days after staging the armed mutiny and insisted that he did not want to overthrow Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prigozhin did not reveal his location but is reported to have moved to Belarus after a deal brokered by Minsk to end the mutiny.
He argued that his mutiny was aimed at saving his embattled mercenary outfit and bringing to justice Russia's military leadership who made "huge mistakes" during the Ukraine campaign, adding that "We went to demonstrate our protest and not to overthrow power in the country." Moreover, he claimed that the road - which saw armed fighters speed through southern Russia en route to Moscow - exposed major security issues.
According to Prigozhin, Wagner's convoy came to a halt 200 kilometers (125 miles) short of Moscow, having "blocked all military infrastructure" including air bases along the way, adding that the group had support from locals along the way.
