Russian National Guard head says his forces to receive heavy weaponry and tanks, blames Wagner rebellion on West

Speaking to journalists after Vladimir Putin’s speech at the Kremlin on Tuesday, Russian National Guard Director Viktor Zolotov said his forces will receive heavy weapons and tanks, according to state media.

Calling the Russian security agencies’ performance during Yevgeny Prigozhin’s armed rebellion on Saturday “excellent,” Zolotov said that Wagner Group’s rapid advancement through the country was possible because of the concentration of security forces around Moscow. He said he was in constant contact with Putin during the crisis and that there was never a chance of Prigozhin’s forces taking the capital.

In addition, the Rosgvardia head said the aborted mutiny was “inspired by” Western intelligence services because they knew about it weeks before it occurred.