"Syria is already in the grips of a civil war, unfortunately enough, and Egypt is moving in that direction," Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying while on a visit to Kazakhstan.

"We would like to see the Egyptian people avoid this fate," Putin added.

The Russian foreign ministry had previously called on all sides in the political crisis to exercise "restraint."

Putin’s wake-up call for men in military uniform comes as Egyptians entangled in the political turmoil are gearing for a massive turn-out against the deposed President Mohammad Morsi.

Proponents of the deposed president also prepare to launch a rival sit-in protest in Nasr city in Cairo.
 

Scores were killed and more than 1,400 were injured in the latest wave of clashes between pro and anti-Morsi demonstrators throughout the counrty.