Extract from ABC News
The mutinous leader of Russia's Wagner Group mercenary force is no longer in Belarus and it is unclear if his fighters will move there, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says, raising questions about the deal that ended last month's revolt.
Key points:
- Alexander Lukashenko's comments have raised questions about the deal that led Yevgeny Prigozhin to end his mutiny
- A jet linked to the mercenary leader was headed to Moscow on Wednesday, but it was unclear if he was on board
- Russian state TV has launched an attack on Mr Prigozhin, showing footage from inside a luxurious mansion reportedly owned by him
Mr Lukashenko said on June 27 that Yevgeny Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus as part of a deal he brokered to defuse the crisis that saw Wagner fighters briefly capture the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and then march towards Moscow.
But he told reporters on Thursday that Mr Prigozhin was now in St Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, or might have moved on to Moscow.
"He is not on the territory of Belarus," Mr Lukashenko added at a news conference in Minsk.
He also said the question of whether Wagner units would relocate to Belarus had not been resolved, and would depend on decisions taken by Russia and the mercenary force.
"Whether they will be in Belarus or not, in what quantity, we will figure out in the near future," he said.
The Belarusian dictator's comments highlight the large uncertainties surrounding the terms and implementation of the deal that ended the mutiny, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has said could have plunged Russia into civil war.
Mr Prigozhin's men have spearheaded much of the fighting in Ukraine, but he has also accused Russia's top brass of corruption and incompetence.
The man formerly known as "Putin's chef" cast the June 24 "march of justice" on Moscow as a protest against the military leadership.
On Wednesday a business jet linked to Mr Prigozhin left St Petersburg for Moscow and was heading for southern Russia on Thursday, according to flight-tracking data, but it was not clear if the mercenary chief was on board.
Russia airs footage of Prigozhin's palace
Russian state TV on Wednesday launched a fierce attack on Mr Prigozhin, and said an investigation into what happened during the mutiny was still being vigorously pursued.
The Russian program 60 Minutes showed footage purportedly shot during law enforcement raids on Mr Prigozhin's St Petersburg office, as well as one of his palaces.
The host, politician Yevgeny Popov, called Mr Prigozhin a "traitor" and the footage was presented by an invited guest — journalist Eduard Petrov — as proof of Mr Prigozhin's criminal past and his hypocrisy in alleging corruption in the armed forces.
The footage showed boxes full of high-denomination roubles in his office and bundles of dollars in a luxurious residence, along with a helicopter, an arms cache and a collection of wigs.
A fully equipped medical treatment room, gold bars and a collection of souvenir sledgehammers, the tool Mr Prigozhin called a symbol of vengeance to be used against traitors, were also shown.
The program also showed several passports in different names, which it said Mr Prigozhin had used.
"A normal person can't have so many passports," Petrov said.
"Why did this person have such strange powers, like the serious leader of some kind of criminal group?"
Photographs of Mr Prigozhin dressed in different disguises and uniforms were also leaked on Telegram at the same time, although their authenticity could not be verified.
The attack on Mr Prigozhin on state TV could not have been launched without the Kremlin's knowledge, and might be part of an attempt to coerce Mr Prigozhin into fulfilling his side of the deal to defuse the mutiny.
Belarus deal's future remains unclear
Mr Lukashenko said he had agreed to meet with Mr Putin in the near future and discuss Mr Prigozhin's situation with him then.
The mercenary leader was "absolutely free" and Putin would not "wipe him out", Mr Lukashenko added.
He said that an offer to Mr Prigozhin's Wagner group to station some of its fighters in Belarus — a prospect that has alarmed neighbouring NATO countries — still stood.
"We are not building camps. We offered them several former military camps that were used in Soviet times, including near Osipovichi, if they agree," Mr Lukashenko said.
"But Wagner has a different vision for deployment. Of course, I won't tell you about this vision."
Mr Lukashenko said he did not see a Wagner presence in Belarus as a risk to his country, and did not believe Wagner fighters would ever take up arms against his government, adding that he believed the Belarusian army could benefit from Wagner's expertise.
Belarus is a close ally of Russia and last month began taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons that Mr Putin has said are intended to deter the West from attempts to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia.
In comments addressed to the West, Mr Lukashenko said: "We are not going to attack anyone with nuclear weapons. [As long as] you don't touch us, forget nuclear weapons.
"But if you commit aggression, the response will be instantaneous. The targets have been defined."
Reuters/ABC
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