Wagner’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Belarus. This is what Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during a meeting of officers, according to state media Belta.
The Kremlin announced on Saturday that Prigozhin would move to Belarus as part of a deal that ended the Wagner Group’s insurgency. Chief Wagner would stop the rebellion and in return avoid criminal prosecution.
After the agreement — with Lukashenko acting as mediator — Prigozhin withdrew his forces, but much remains unclear. For example, for a long time it was not known whether Wagner’s chief had really left for Belarus.
Prigozhin led his mercenary army towards Moscow this weekend because he said he wanted to prevent his group from disbanding on July 1. On that date, all private armies will join the Russian army. On Monday, he stressed that there are no plans to overthrow the current government in Moscow.
Russian President Putin thanked the soldiers of the mercenary army in a televised message on Monday evening for not continuing their uprising. Like its leader, he said, Wagner’s forces might sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense or move to Belarus.
Lukashenko offers the Wagner fighters an old military base as a shelter for the coming period. He denies the rumors about the establishment of mercenary camps in Belarus. According to the president, Wagner fighters can be an asset for the Belarusian Armed Forces.
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