MINSK: According to Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner group, remains in Russia rather than Belarus, despite an agreement with the Kremlin that stipulated his relocation to Belarus after his unsuccessful uprising last month.
Speaking to reporters from international media organizations during a press conference, Lukashenko stated, “Regarding Prigozhin, he is currently in Saint Petersburg. He has not arrived in Belarus.”
Lukashenko played a key role in brokering a deal under which Yevgeny Prigozhin ended his armed rebellion on June 24 in return for assurances of safety for both himself and Wagner soldiers. This agreement granted Prigozhin and his forces permission to relocate to Belarus.
On June 27, Lukashenko had announced that Yevgeny Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus as part of the agreement reached on June 24, which successfully defused the crisis caused by the group’s temporary capture of a southern Russian city and their advancement towards Moscow.
However, during today’s press conference, Lukashenko told reporters that Prigozhin was actually in St Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, and not present on Belarusian territory.
Flight tracking data indicated that a business jet associated with Prigozhin departed from St Petersburg to Moscow on Wednesday and was en route to southern Russia on Thursday, although it remained uncertain whether Prigozhin himself was aboard the aircraft.
Lukashenko reiterated that the offer for Wagner to station some of its fighters in Belarus, a proposal that has raised concerns among neighboring Nato countries, still stands. He expressed his belief that this arrangement does not pose a risk to Belarus and dismissed the notion that Wagner fighters would ever engage in hostilities against his country.
The Wagner’s aborted rebellion represented the biggest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power and exposed the Kremlin’s weakness.
(With inputs from agencies)
Speaking to reporters from international media organizations during a press conference, Lukashenko stated, “Regarding Prigozhin, he is currently in Saint Petersburg. He has not arrived in Belarus.”
Lukashenko played a key role in brokering a deal under which Yevgeny Prigozhin ended his armed rebellion on June 24 in return for assurances of safety for both himself and Wagner soldiers. This agreement granted Prigozhin and his forces permission to relocate to Belarus.
On June 27, Lukashenko had announced that Yevgeny Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus as part of the agreement reached on June 24, which successfully defused the crisis caused by the group’s temporary capture of a southern Russian city and their advancement towards Moscow.
However, during today’s press conference, Lukashenko told reporters that Prigozhin was actually in St Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, and not present on Belarusian territory.
Flight tracking data indicated that a business jet associated with Prigozhin departed from St Petersburg to Moscow on Wednesday and was en route to southern Russia on Thursday, although it remained uncertain whether Prigozhin himself was aboard the aircraft.
Lukashenko reiterated that the offer for Wagner to station some of its fighters in Belarus, a proposal that has raised concerns among neighboring Nato countries, still stands. He expressed his belief that this arrangement does not pose a risk to Belarus and dismissed the notion that Wagner fighters would ever engage in hostilities against his country.
The Wagner’s aborted rebellion represented the biggest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power and exposed the Kremlin’s weakness.
(With inputs from agencies)
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