2023-06-28 10:56:52
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin not to “liquidate” the head of the private military group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in response to what the Kremlin described as a rebellion pushing Russia toward civil war.
Putin initially vowed to crush the revolt, which he likened to the chaos of 1917 that led to the Bolshevik revolution and then civil war, but hours later a deal was struck allowing Prigozhin and some of his fighters to go to Belarus.
The founder of the Wagner Special Forces flew to Belarus from Russia on Tuesday.
Speaking about his conversation on Saturday with Putin, Lukashenko used an expression in Russian slang meaning “liquidation”, according to Archyde.com.
Belarusian media quoted Lukashenko as saying at a meeting of his country’s army officials and journalists on Tuesday, “I also understood that a tough decision was taken (and the content of Putin’s words was) to liquidate” the rebels.
He said, “I suggested to Putin not to rush. I told him let’s talk with Prigozhin, and with his leaders, and he replied that there was no benefit from this and that he (Prigozhin) does not even answer the phone, he does not want to talk to anyone.”
Russian media reports: A new Wagner camp is being built in Belarus
Putin used the same expression in 1999 when talking about Chechen militants, vowing that they would be “liquidated in the open,” in remarks that became a widely circulated slogan to illustrate the severity of his character.
There has been no immediate comment from the Kremlin on Lukashenko’s remarks, which provide a rare accurate glimpse into the talks inside the Kremlin at a time when Russia, according to Putin’s own account, is on the brink of turmoil not seen in decades.
The danger of “Wagner” did not end, despite its retreat from the rebellion
Lukashenko, who has an old acquaintance with Prigozhin and is also a close ally of Putin, said he had advised the Russian president to think “without selfishness” and that eliminating Prigozhin could lead to a large-scale revolt by his fighters.
He added, saying that his country’s army could benefit from the experience of Wagner’s forces, which are free to choose to move to Belarus now, according to an agreement with the Kremlin.
Prigozhin stopped what he called the “march of justice” to Moscow from the city of Rostov, which is located in southern Russia, 200 kilometers from the capital, after Lukashenko’s intervention.
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