Belarusian strongman President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the private Russian paramilitary mercenary unit Wagner Group, was in the Russian city of St Petersburg.
Prigozhin’s whereabouts have been a subject of speculation since he ended a short-lived mutiny on June 24.
Lukashenko brokered a deal to end Wagner’s armed uprising in Russia. According to the agreement, Prigozhin was to relocate to Belarus, and Lukashenko confirmed on June 27 that the Wagner boss had arrived in his country.
What did Lukashenko say about Prigozhin?
On Thursday, the Belarusian leader told reporters: “As for Prigozhin, he is in St. Petersburg. He is not in Belarus.”
The Belarusian claimed he knew “for sure” that Prigozhin was a free man, adding that he “spoke to him on the phone yesterday”.
Russia has not confirmed Lukashenko’s claims. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is not following Prigozhin’s movements.
Lukashenko’s comments came after Russian media reported Prigozhin had been sighted in St. Petersburg, with his presence in Russia’s second-largest city being seen as part of deals that allowed him to settle his affairs there.
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What about Wagner fighters?
Lukashenko said the Wagner troops are still in their camps, without giving the location. He said their transfer to Belarus “is not yet decided” and they have not yet set up a base in his country.
Minsk’s offer to Wagner to station some troops in Belarus still stands, Lukashenko added, stressing he doesn’t think the fighters will ever take up arms against his country.
“We don’t build camps. We offered them several former military camps used in Soviet times, including one near Asipovichy, if they agree,” he said, referring to the city 103 kilometers from Minsk.
“But Wagner has a different vision for the mission, of course I won’t tell you that vision,” he added.
Independent Russian news agencies reported in recent days that several camps are already being built in Belarus, including one near Asipovichy, with an area of 24,000 square meters and a capacity of 8,000 beds.
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Prigozhin’s aborted mutiny
Wagner fighters led by Prigozhin raided the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and captured the military headquarters there.
They were moving toward Moscow in what Prigozhin called a “march of justice” to overthrow Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom the Wagner boss had publicly criticized for months.
After Lukashenko negotiated a deal, Prigozhin claimed he ordered his fighters to halt their advance on Moscow after they got within 200 kilometers (124 miles) of the Russian capital.
The short-lived mutiny posed the greatest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. Western leaders said it exposed the loopholes in the Russian system.
Russian reactions to the uprising of the Wagner mercenary group
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fb/wd (Portal, AP)