Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group, which consists of a private army of prison recruits and other mercenaries involved in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, managed to evade prosecution for his failed armed rebellion against the Kremlin. He has now arrived in Belarus as part of a deal that brought an end to the mutiny he orchestrated. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed Prigozhin’s presence in the country and stated that he and some of his troops are welcome to stay “for some time” at their own expense. (Source: AP)
Prigozhin has not been seen since Saturday when he waved to supporters from a vehicle in the southern city of Rostov. He released a defiant audio statement on Monday. On Tuesday morning, a private jet believed to be owned by him traveled from Rostov to an air base near the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Meanwhile, Moscow announced that preparations were underway for the Wagner Group’s troops, numbering 25,000 according to Prigozhin, to hand over their heavy weapons to Russia’s military. Prigozhin had opposed this move as it preceded a July 1 deadline for his fighters to sign contracts with Russia’s military command.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to pave the way for financial misconduct charges against an affiliated organization owned by Prigozhin. Putin revealed that Prigozhin’s Concord Group earned 80 billion rubles ($941 million) from a military food supply contract. He also stated that Wagner had received over 86 billion rubles (over $1 billion) in the past year for wages and miscellaneous expenses. Putin expressed hope that there were no instances of theft or significant misconduct, emphasizing that authorities would scrutinize Concord’s contract closely.
Lukashenko assured that there is no reason to fear the Wagner Group’s presence in Belarus. However, in Russia, Wagner-recruited convicts have been suspected of participating in violent crimes. He stated that the Wagner troops possess invaluable military knowledge and experience which they can share with Belarus. On the other hand, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled opposition leader of Belarus who challenged Lukashenko in the disputed 2020 election, expressed concerns that the Wagner troops would pose a threat to Belarus and its neighboring countries. She stated, “Belarusians don’t welcome war criminal Prigozhin.” (Source: AP)
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
