The chief of Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prighozin, who led an tried coup in Russia on the weekend, is heading to Belarus following an settlement, President Alexander Lukashenko mentioned Tuesday.
“I can see Prigozhin is already flying on the plane. Yes, indeed, today he is in Belarus,” Lukashenko mentioned in a gathering with Belarusian officers, in response to state media.
It was not clear if the Wagner chief had already arrived in Belarus or was nonetheless within the air.
There was widespread hypothesis over his whereabouts.
Lukashenko had mediated an finish to the stand-off between Moscow and mercenary chief Prigozhin, who marched his personal military towards the Russian capital in a dispute over provides and the way Kremlin chiefs had been overseeing the conflict in Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, Prigozhin was set to seek out refuge in Belarus as a part of a deal and legal fees in opposition to him have been dropped.
Lukashenko admitted that every one events concerned – himself included – had initially underestimated the hazard of the state of affairs escalating.
President Vladimir Putin mentioned on Tuesday that the funds of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s catering agency could be investigated after his mutiny, saying Wagner and its founder had acquired nearly $2 billion from Russia up to now yr.
Putin initially vowed to crush the mutiny, evaluating it to the wartime turmoil that ushered within the revolutions of 1917 after which a civil conflict, however hours later a deal was clinched to permit Prigozhin and a few of his fighters to go to Belarus.
Speaking to troopers from the Russian military at a gathering within the Kremlin, Putin mentioned he had all the time revered Wagner’s fighters, however that the actual fact was the group had been “fully financed” from the state funds.
He mentioned it had acquired 86 billion roubles ($1 billion) from the protection ministry between May 2022 and May 2023.
In addition, Prigozhin’s Concord catering firm made 80 billion roubles from state contracts to provide meals to the Russian military, Putin mentioned.
“I do hope that, as part of this work, no one stole anything, or, let’s say, stole less, but we will, of course, investigate all of this.”
Prigozhin, whom Putin didn’t point out by title, couldn’t be reached for fast touch upon Putin’s remarks.
He mentioned earlier this yr that he had all the time financed Wagner however had seemed for added financing after the conflict started in Ukraine.
He mentioned on Monday that he had not been making an attempt to overthrow the Russian state and that he remained a patriot who was making an attempt to settle scores with the protection ministry.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
