Putin: Russian army and people were not on mutineers' side

President Vladimir Putin told some 2,500 members of Russia's security forces, National Guard and military units on Tuesday that the people and the armed forces had stood together in opposition to rebel mercenaries in Saturday's aborted mutiny.

At the gathering, held on a square in the Kremlin complex, Putin was joined by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, whose dismissal the mercenary fighters of the Wagner group had demanded during their mutiny and march towards Moscow.

Putin requested a minute of silence to honour Russian military pilots who were killed during the mutiny.