Vladimir Putin received a lukewarm response as he launched a flurry of phone calls to international allies.
The Russian president has alienated himself from much of the world following his invasion of Ukraine, and his diplomatic isolation could leave him vulnerable as the internal chaos continues.
There was initial silence from Beijing, despite the recent growing closeness of China and Russia.
And in public statements, other capitals friendly to Moscow maintained the crisis was an “internal” problem for Russia, rather than issuing pledges of support for Putin.
According to Kazakhstan’s Presidential Administration, Kazakh leader Kassym Jomart Tokayev told Putin politely on the phone that the coup was an entirely internal Russian problem.
Putin also talked to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president.
The Kremlin said Mr Erdogan had given “full support for the steps taken by the Russian leadership.”
But Ankara said Mr Erdogan had urged Putin to act with “common sense,” telling him Turkey was ready to help seek a “peaceful resolution of events in Russia as soon as possible.”
Iran’s foreign minister Nasser Kanaani issued a statement saying it supported the rule of law in Russia, and also considered the armed rebellion an “internal Russian matter”.
Analysts suggested that did not amount to a ringing endorsement of Putin.
Putin’s first call to a world leader after the mutiny began was to his Belarus ally, President Alexander Lukashenko.
The Security Council of Belarus was more vocally supportive, saying Minsk remained an ally of Russia, and that internal disputes were “a gift to the collective West.”
The Kremlin said Putin also spoke to the president of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Western leaders remained wary of commenting, eager not to give Putin any excuse to claim that they were backing the rebellion.
US and European officials were concerned that could lead to a reaction by Putin against Nato. Nato spokesperson Oana Lungescu said only that the alliance was “monitoring the situation”.
The European Union also said it was “closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds”.
Berlin said it was “closely following the events in Russia,” and Paris said: “We remain focussed on supporting Ukraine.”
However, Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavsky said: “I can see my summer holiday in Crimea is approaching,” referring to the territory annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014.
The Wagner Group has fought in Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic and Mali, among other countries, and continues to have assets around the world.
Its split with the Kremlin could lead to destabilisation in countries including Mali and the Central African Republic, where Wagner has played an increasingly central role in internal conflicts. Both countries have sought military support from Russia, leading to a Wagner presence.
Malian political analyst Bassirou Doumbia said: “Wagner’s presence in Mali is sponsored by the Kremlin and if Wagner is at odds with the Kremlin, naturally Mali will suffer the consequences on the security front.”
In the Central African Republic hundreds of Russian operatives, including from Wagner, have been helping the government fight rebel insurgencies since 2018.
US officials believe Wagner has built strong ties with several African governments over the past decade, operating in at least eight African nations.
