Despite Moscow’s agreement with Minsk to transfer Prigozhin to Belarus, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, remains in Russia, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko announced on Thursday. Despite Moscow’s agreement with Minsk to transfer Prigozhin to Belarus, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, remains in Russia, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko announced on Thursday.
Lukashenko informed international reporters on Thursday that the mercenary leader was in St. Petersburg
After being exiled from Russia following an abortive revolt against Moscow’s military establishment in June, the mercenary chief was supposed to be in Belarus. Lukashenko said last week that Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus. After being exiled from Russia following an abortive revolt against Moscow’s military establishment in June, the mercenary chief was supposed to be in Belarus. Lukashenko said last week that Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus.
Following his statement last week that Prigozhin was in Belarus, Lukashenko informed international reporters on Thursday that the mercenary leader was in St. Petersburg and Wagner’s forces were still at their camps. He didn’t say where the camps were, but Prigozhin’s mercenaries fought with Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine before the uprising.
Lukashenko said he informed Prigozhin that if they did not reach an agreement to cease their rebellion, he and his troops would be destroyed, and that Belarus would send a battalion to help protect Moscow. He claimed that the uprising could result in widespread slaughter and plunge Russia into civil war. “It was important to snuff it out. As history has shown, it was extremely dangerous,” Lukashenko added.