Wagner mercenary chief Prigozhin is in Russia, Belarus leader says
- Yevgeny Prigozhin is in St Petersburg, says Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, noting that the Wagner boss is ‘absolutely free’ and Putin will not ‘wipe him out’
- Lukashenko’s words came despite a deal with the Kremlin for Prigozhin to move to Belarus following his brief rebellion
Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is in St Petersburg and his Wagner troops have remained at the camps where they had stayed before an abortive mutiny, the president of Belarus said Thursday.
Alexander Lukashenko helped broker a deal for Prigozhin to end his rebellion in June in exchange for amnesty and security guarantees for himself and his soldiers and permission to move to Belarus.
However, few details of the agreement have emerged, and the whereabouts and futures of the Wagner company’s chief and his private army have remained unclear.
After saying last week that Prigozhin was in Belarus, Lukashenko told international reporters on Thursday that the mercenary leader was in St Petersburg and Wagner’s troops were still at their camps.
02:17
Wagner Group merchandise are hot items in Russia after revolt
“He is not on the territory of Belarus,” Lukashenko told a press conference in Minsk. He said he had agreed to meet Putin in the near future and would discuss the Prigozhin situation with him.