The eyes of the world remain on Russia after Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's attempted mutiny on Saturday posed what many regard as the greatest challenge yet to President Vladimir Putin's two-decade grip on power.
In a speech inside the Kremlin Tuesday, Putin thanked Russia's army and security forces for preventing what he called a "civil war" within the country.
It follows a televised address to the nation on Monday, during which the president called the organizers of the uprising "criminals" and vowed to bring them to justice. He also said the uprising would have been crushed — even if Prigozhin had not cut a deal with the Kremlin that reportedly sees him exiled to Belarus.
The revolt raised questions about Putin's grip on power and what could be next for the country. Some analysts expect a "purge" as Putin looks to reassert his dominance in the country, while many are skeptical that the peaceful exile of Prigozhin and his fellow mutineers will go ahead.
Stateside, President Joe Biden clarified on Monday that the United States was not involved in the aborted weekend rebellion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, called for further support from Western leaders to repel the Russian invasion. European foreign ministers and NATO officials on Monday pledged fresh military support to Ukraine, with the EU's military assistance fund set to increase by 3.5 billion euros ($3.8 billion) to roughly 12 billion euros in the coming years.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy also praised Ukrainian troops later on Monday for advancing "in all directions" after he spent the day visiting soldiers on the frontline in eastern and southern Ukraine.