Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced “full support” for the Russian leadership in its handling of an armed mutiny by the Wagner private military group against Moscow.

The Kremlin quoted Erdogan as making the remark in a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday as the two discussed the latest developments in Russia after Wagner’s overnight rebellion against the Russian leader and the military. 

“The president of Russia gave information about the situation in the country in connection with an attempted armed rebellion. The president of the Republic of Turkey expressed full support for the steps taken by the Russian leadership,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

Erdogan’s office also confirmed the report and said the Turkish president had expressed readiness to help seek a “peaceful resolution” to the armed rebellion in Russia.

The president’s office said Erdogan “underlined the importance of acting with common sense,” stressing, “We, as Turkey, are ready to do our part for the peaceful resolution of events in Russia as soon as possible.”

Putin has vowed to crush the armed mutiny after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that he had taken control of a southern city as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership.

The Wagner Group is a paramilitary organization that has been fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

In an audio message posted to the social media platform Telegram on Friday, Prigozhin accused the Russian top brass of launching strikes against his men and said that “the evil which the Russian military leadership carries must be stopped.” 

“Those who killed our lads, and tens of thousands of lives of Russian soldiers [in the war in Ukraine] will be punished,” he said.

Last month, Wagner troops conquered the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The battle over Bakhmut has been described as the heaviest to take place between the Russian and Ukrainian forces since last February when Moscow began what it called a special military operation in the ex-Soviet republic.