Wagner crisis shows Ukraine war is 'cracking' Russia: EU

Wagner's aborted mutiny shows Moscow's war in Ukraine is splintering Russian power, the EU's top diplomat said Monday, warning of the risk of instability in the nuclear-armed nation.

"What has happened during this weekend shows that the war against Ukraine is cracking Russian power and affecting its political system," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers.

"We are certainly following closely what's happening but it's now the moment to continue supporting Ukraine more than ever, that what we will do," he said.

Borrell warned that "certainly it's not a good thing to see that a nuclear power like Russia can go into a phase of instability. It's also something that has to be taken into account".

He said "the most important conclusion is that the war against Ukraine launched by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and the monster that Putin created with Wagner, the monster is biting him".

"The monster is acting against its creator, the political system is showing the fragilities and the military power is cracking," Borrell said.

EU foreign ministers were scrambling to digest the fall-out from the uprising at their regular meeting in Luxembourg.

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the events were "a domestic power struggle in Russia and we are not getting involved".

"We see the devastating consequences of the Russian war of aggression, also on the power system of Putin," she said.

"We see that more and more Russia's leadership is striking back at itself."

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said the tensions showed the "fractures and faultlines" in the Russian system, but the EU was remaining "cautious" and did not want to be seen to interfere.

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis urged the West not to be "distracted" and to focus on bolstering support for Ukraine.

"We don't need to think about changing the regime in Russia and the need to plan it; Russians are completely capable of doing that on their own," he said.