“Procedure was unprofessional”
Prigozhin death: Lukashenko protests Putin’s innocence
08/25/2023 6:32 p.m
Lukashenko is certain that Russian President Putin has nothing to do with the probable death of Wagner boss Prigozhin. The Belarusian dictator warned the latter several times. The mercenary leader ignored this. However, the plane crash does not suit the Kremlin boss.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says he warned Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin that his life was in danger. However, Prigozhin twice ignored the warnings, the state news agency Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying. The first time was in June during the march of the Wagner mercenaries on Moscow. “To hell with that – I’m going to die,” Prigozhin replied. The second time, he told Prigozhin and Wagner co-founder Dmitri Utkin: “Guys – watch out.” The Belta report did not say exactly when this happened.
Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, while also being a longtime acquaintance of Prigozhin. He and Utkin are said to have died in a plane crash north of Moscow on Wednesday. Lukashenko now explained that Putin has nothing to do with it.
“I know Putin: he is calculating, very calm, even hesitant,” said Lukashenko. “I can’t imagine that Putin did it, that it’s Putin’s fault. The approach is too simple, too crude and unprofessional.” The Kremlin had previously denied any involvement in the case. Speculations going there are “an absolute lie,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Exactly two months before the plane crash, Prigozhin had marched his mercenaries in an uprising towards Moscow. According to Prigozhin, the aim was to overthrow the Russian army leadership and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Lukashenko is said to have mediated between Putin and Prigozhin in June, after which the uprising was called off. Shortly thereafter, Lukashenko stated that he had convinced Putin not to “wipe out” Prigozhin. The details of the agreement remained unclear, but many Wagner mercenaries subsequently went to Belarus under the terms of the agreement.
Now Lukashenko declared that the fighters would stay in his country. “Wagner lived, Wagner lives and Wagner will live in Belarus,” said Lukashenko. The core of the unit will remain. “As long as we need this unit, they will live and work with us.” Within “a few days” “everyone would be there, up to 10,000 people,” Lukashenko continued.