NEW DELHI: Russia’s Security Council Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, spoke with India’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Wednesday and briefed him about the latest developments in his country. This comes close on the heels of a short-lived mercenary rebellion that shook the Kremlin earlier this week.
“The current issues of Russian-Indian cooperation in the field of security and the prospects for their deepening within the framework of bilateral and multilateral formats were discussed in detail,” according to a statement issued by the Russian government.
Patrushev and Doval had met in person on March 29 on the sidelines of the SCO National Security Advisors meet in Delhi. The two had discussed cooperation between India and Russia in the area of security.
In light of the recent rebellion that shook Russia, Patrushev would have reached out to Doval to not only apprise him of the situation in Russia but also seek possible solutions. It may be recalled that Doval had also met President Putin in person in Moscow in February at a meeting on Afghanistan.
The rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner group on June 24, Saturday, had posed a serious challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin — a probable first in more than two decades — raising questions about his dwindling control and leadership.
The Wagner mercenary group had taken control of Russia’s Rostov-on-Don town. The revolt ended when Prigozhin decided to stop in his tracks and made a deal with the Kremlin. The mercenary chief will now relocate to Belarus.
Interestingly, until now the Wagner Group had been a key piece of Russia’s strategy in Ukraine, with the group’s forces being deployed to hold cities such as Bakhmut. The tension between Russia’s defence ministry and Wagner Group escalated dramatically on June 23 (Friday), when Prigozhin accused Russian forces of attacking their camps in eastern Ukraine, which resulted in some casualties.
This angered Prigozhin, who indicated through a video message that same evening his intent to rebel.
Thereafter, Wagner forces left Ukraine and marched into Russia on Saturday, taking control of the Russian military headquarters for the southern region in Rostov-on-Don, which has been overseeing the fight in Ukraine. President Putin called the uprising “a stab in the back” through a televised address on Saturday.
“All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment,” Putin said, “The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders.”
Though a full-fledged rebellion was averted, the incident laid bare chinks in the Russian establishment, which the Kremlin wants to cover. They are not just looking at enhancing their security within Russia but also seeking help from its ally India to help them counter anything similar in the future, said an expert on India-Russia relations.
The Wagner Group is actually a group of entities that operate as a Private Military Company (PMC). These PMCs can be hired by governments for security or combat services and are common in war zones. The United States too had a private military during its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, there are some structural differences in how they are used in different parts of the world.
Security a continuous dialogue
Ajit Doval and Nikolai Patrushev had met on March 29 on the sidelines of the SCO National Security Advisors’ meet in Delhi. The two had discussed cooperation between both the nations in the area of security. In light of the recent mercenary rebellion in Russia, Patrushev appraised Doval of the situation and also sought possible solutions. Doval had also met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last February at a meeting on Afghanisthan.