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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Guardian staff and agencies

China downplays Wagner rebellion as Russia’s ‘internal affairs’

Russia's deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko and China's foreign minister Qin Gang after meeting in Beijing
Russia's deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko and China's foreign minister Qin Gang after meeting in Beijing following the uprising sparked by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. Photograph: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of t/AFP/Getty Images

Chinese officials have described an aborted rebellion by the Wagner group of mercenaries as Moscow’s “internal affairs”, while one state media mouthpiece dismissed the divisions in Russia as an “illusion” being exploited by the west.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko held talks in Beijing on Sunday after the most serious challenge to president Vladimir Putin’s grip on power since he came to power in 2000.

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