MOSCOW, June 27 (Reuters) - One of President Vladimir Putin's allies said on Tuesday that mutineers from the Wagner mercenary group were able to advance so fast towards Moscow because forces loyal to the state had focused on bolstering the defences of the capital.
But Viktor Zolotov, a close Putin ally and director of the National Guard, gave a different interpretation.
Zolotov, 69, said he had been in constant contact with Putin on Friday and Saturday.
The guards, he said, will in future be equipped with heavy weaponry and tanks after having to prepare to defend Russia's capital against the Wagner fighters.
The National Guard, a force of more than 340,000, was set up in 2016 to ensure order and security alongside the police and security services.
Persons:
Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Viktor Zolotov, Putin, Zolotov, Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones
Organizations:
Renegade, National Guard, Thomson
Locations:
MOSCOW, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Zolotov