Prigozhin and Wagnerites not in Belarus now – Lukashenko
Self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has said that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, and the Wagnerites themselves are not in Belarus at the moment.
Source: Belta, a Belarusian pro-government news outlet; Pul Pervogo, a Belarusian presidential news outlet
Quote from Lukashenko: "As for Yevgeny Prigozhin, he is in St Petersburg. Where is he this morning? Maybe he went to Moscow in the morning."
Details: In addition, Lukashenko has told journalists about the whereabouts of the Wagner OMC fighters. "As far as I am informed this morning, the fighters of the Wagner PMC are in their camps. In the permanent camps where they were after being withdrawn from the frontline for recovery," he said.
According to the Belarusian dictator, no one in Belarus is building camps for Prigozhin's mercenaries, although the media recorded works on the arrangement of accommodation for them.
Quote from Lukashenko: "We are not building camps, we have offered them several former military camps that were used in Soviet times, in particular near Asipovichy – if they agree. But the Wagner PMC has a different vision for the deployment, of course, I won't tell you about this vision."
Background:
- After the mutiny and a conversation with the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Prigozhin said that his mercenaries were returning to the field camps. The criminal case against Prigozhin in Russia was promised to be closed, and he was to "go to Belarus".
- On 27 June, Prigozhin's business jet flew from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don to Belarus, and another plane arrived there from St Petersburg.
- The FSB reported that the criminal case on armed rebellion against the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had been closed.
- On the same day, Lukashenko claimed that Prigozhin was in Belarus.
- On 4 July, it was reported that Prigozhin had personally arrived in St. Petersburg, reclaiming his weapons seized during the searches at his property.
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