AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that Moscow will emerge from the aftermath of a recent armed insurrection by the Wagner mercenary group "stronger" than before.

"Russia has always overcome all its problems ... it comes out stronger and stronger. It will be the same this time, too. This process has already begun," Lavrov told journalists during a briefing in Moscow, after the rebels marched on the capital last week to oust the country's military leadership.

The revolt, led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, posed the most serious threat to President Vladimir Putin's decades-long rule and spurred Kremlin efforts to disband the private military outfit.

The Wagner group played a key role in the capture of several east Ukraine towns, including Bakhmut, after a mass recruitment drive in Russia.

Answering a question from foreign media, Lavrov said: "thank you for your concern about our national interests, but you shouldn't be worried".

AFP