Mr Lukashenko says Wagner boss is in Belarus

Belarusian President Lukashenko confirmed Prigozhin is in the country, after the Wagner boss reached a deal to leave Russia and avoid prosecution for rebellion.

"I saw Prigozhin on the plane. Yes, he is indeed in Belarus today," President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Belarusian officers on June 27, referring to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. It is not clear whether the plane carrying Wagner boss has landed in Belarus.

Earlier, Mr. Lukashenko said Belarus would benefit from Wagner's combat experience. "They are experienced. They will help determine which weapons are effective and which are not. And tactics, weapons, ways of attacking, defending. This is invaluable," he said at a meeting with the Defense Minister.

Belarusian leaders insist they will not build barracks for Wagner, but will provide accommodation if they want it and have proposed an abandoned military base. Belarus also has no intention of allowing Wagner to open a recruitment center in the country.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24. Photo: AFP — Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24. Photo: *AFP*

President Lukashenko was one of the people who helped stabilize the situation in Russia, after Prigozhin brought thousands of gunmen from the Ukrainian battlefield to Russia on June 24 to "demand justice". He and Russian officials negotiated with boss Wagner, establishing an agreement to cool down the tension afterwards.

Under the agreement, Prigozhin would travel to Belarus and the Kremlin would not prosecute him or the Wagner rebels. The gunmen could either follow their boss or sign a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry . The Wagner boss left Rostov-on-Don, the capital of Rostov Oblast in southern Russia, the same evening and his whereabouts were unknown.

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 said an Embraer Legacy 600 aircraft linked to Prigozhin appeared in Rostov at 2:32 GMT (9:32 Hanoi time) and began landing near the Belarusian capital Minsk at 4:20 GMT.

Responding to questions about Prigozhin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that the agreement to end the rebellion is being implemented and President Vladimir Putin always keeps his word. The Kremlin also has no information about the current location of the Wagner boss.

Nhu Tam (According to Reuters, AFP )

Source link