Russia’s defence minister has been shown discussing the war in Ukraine with troops – sending a message of business as usual after mercenaries trying to remove him briefly occupied a strategic command centre for the invasion and marched on Moscow.

The armed mutiny over the weekend by the powerful Wagner Group and its abrupt ending with no apparent penalties for the perpetrators or their leader were followed on Monday by other official moves to return the country to normal.

The extraordinary events left governments, both friendly and hostile to Russia, groping for answers to what could happen next in the country with the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.

Russia’s ally China, where a senior Russian diplomat visited on Sunday, said it supported Moscow in maintaining national stability while Ukraine and some of its Western allies said the turmoil revealed cracks in Russia.

“We are seeing massive cracks in the Russian propaganda”, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said before heading into an EU meeting.

She said Mr Putin’s war in Ukraine, which he calls a “special military operation” to counter a threat against Russia, was destroying Russia and that Western allies would continue to back Ukraine.

Russia’s national Anti-Terrorism Committee said the situation in the country was stable and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said he was cancelling a counter-terrorism regime imposed in the capital Moscow.

Wagner mercenaries fighting in Ukraine who crossed into Russia on Saturday halted their advance on Moscow, withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov and headed back to their bases in the evening under an amnesty granting them safety.

Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who had demanded that Russia’s defence minister and the army’s top general be handed over to him, would move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Mr Prigozhin, who has accused both men of gross incompetence and corruption, said he wanted to “restore justice”.

A video released by the defence ministry on Monday showed minister Sergei Shoigu flying in a plane with a colleague and hearing reports at a command post. It was unclear when or where it was shot and had no sound.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had said on Saturday the rebellion put Russia’s very existence under threat and vowed to punish those behind the revolt, has made no public comment or appearance since.

Mr Prigozhin was last seen heading away from Rostov in a four-wheel-drive, smiling as his men exchanged fist bumps with passers by before pulling out. Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff, has also not been seen in public since the events.

The Kremlin said the question of personnel changes was the sole prerogative of the president and could hardly have been part of any deal.

The developments were, at face value, one of the biggest challenges to his rule after more than two decades in power.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested the turmoil could take months to play out, telling NBC’s Meet the Press program: “we’ve seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the events in Russia in separate phone calls with US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who both expressed their support.

“The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored,” Mr Zelensky said on Twitter.

State television said Mr Putin would attend a meeting of Russia’s Security Council this week, without elaborating, and Belarus’ Belta news agency said Mr Putin and Mr Lukashenko spoke again on Sunday, after at least two calls on Saturday.

In his televised address as events were unfolding on Saturday, Mr Putin drew parallels with the chaos of 1917 that led to the Bolshevik revolution.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told newspaper Il Messaggero: “The myth of the unity of Putin’s Russia is over … It’s the inevitable outcome when you support and finance a legion of mercenaries.”

-Reuters