Russia must build an army of seven million men to ensure that no mercenary groups are needed for the country’s security, a top politician in the Kremlin has said, following an aborted mutiny by the Wagner group over the weekend.

Leonid Slutsky, who early in the 16-month war took part in peace negotiations with Ukraine, said that Russia needs a contract army of at least seven million military and civilian personnel, on top of the current conscript army.

“The country does not need any PMCs (private military companies) and their likes,” Mr Slutsky, the head of the Liberal Democratic Party, said on Telegram. “There are problems in the regular army, but PMCs cannot solve them.”

Russia’s army is currently believed to be made up of just over a million men, with around two million reservists.

President Vladimir Putin made a defiant address on Monday saying he had deliberately let the one-day mutiny go for so long to avoid bloodshed, while Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner leader, said yesterday that the mutiny was a “masterclass” in how to launch an invasion.

Follow all the latest updates below