- Ukrainian President taunts: ‘Scared Putin barricades himself in Moscow’
- Rishi Sunak ‘in touch with allies’ over Russian rebellion
Uk Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, was relatively reserved, as most of Ukraine’s allies have been, when answering questions on the events unfolding in Russia.
Asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg if a coup was being carried out, the Prime Minister said he was “keeping a close eye” on the situation.
“We’re in touch with our allies and we’ll be speaking to some of them later today. The most important thing is for all parties to be responsible to protect civilians.”
He repeated these remarks when asked if it was good news Vladimir Putin was being challenged and whether he had spoken to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy, who is celebrating the insurrection, said Russian President, Vladimir Putin is “scared” and the rebellion is a direct result of his invasion.
Russia’s “weakness is obvious” and its president has “barricade[d] himself in the Moscow region from those whom he himself armed”, he said.
“For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government – and now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it,” said the Ukrainian president.
“All this is one person, who again and again scares by the year 1917 [the Russian revolution], although he is able to result in nothing else but this.”
He said the longer Russian troops remain on Ukrainian land, the “more chaos, pain and problems” Russia will suffer.
“Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself.”
Putin, reacting, said the situation around Rostov remains “very complicated,” adding: “We are fighting against anarchy and capitulation. This internal mutiny is a mortal blow to us.”
And as security measures have been taken in Moscow and other regions, Putin stated that countermeasures will be very hard.
“I am doing everything to repel this attack.” which he describes as “a stab in the back.
“Those who mutiny have betrayed Russia and I urge anybody involved in it to cease any kind of participation in armed conflict.
“This is a criminal adventuristic campaign. It is equivalent to armed mutiny. Russia will defend itself,” says the Russian president.
“We are fighting for the life and security of our citizens and our territorial integrity. It is an attempt to subvert us from inside. This is treason.”
With agency reports