Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, one of the chief allies of Vladimir Putin, has reportedly brokered a deal with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin to stop the paramilitary group’s advances towards Moscow.
Following negotiations that are said to have lasted the entire day, Aleksandr Lukashenko has claimed to have struck an agreement with the Wagner Private Military Company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to stop his forces from marching on Moscow and work to “de-escalate tensions”, according to Belarussian state media BelTA.
The deal — which was reached as Wagner forces reportedly were within striking distance of the Russian capital — was struck as both the Belarussians and the Wagner leader agreed that it was “unacceptable to start a bloodbath in Russia’s territory.”
Lukashenko claimed that the two sides had come to an “absolutely advantageous and acceptable” way to end the situation, which will reportedly include safety guarantees for Wagner forces.
It remains to be seen, however, if any assurances were given personally to Prigozhin, who Russia’s Federal Security Service charged for allegedly orchestrating an “armed rebellion” against Moscow. Should Prigozhin not receive such assurances, the Belarussian-brokered deal may be short-lived.
Earlier in the day, Vladimir Putin called on Prigozhin to turn himself him and “answer” for his “betrayal” of the nation, statements that will likely be hard for the Russian leader to walk back without appearing weak, further complicating matters.
For his part, Prigozhin responded that Putin was “mistaken”, claiming that Wagner was not attempting a coup and that his band of mercenaries are “patriots” merely interested in “justice” for the alleged strikes against their forces in Ukraine by the Russian military top brass after Prigozhin refused to give up leadership of his private army to the Kremlin.
On Saturday, the Wagner forces reportedly claimed to have taken operational control of the city of Rostov-on-Don, and the Russian military HQ for operations in Ukraine, which was housed in the city.
It was then reported that Wagner units, battle-hardened from months of fighting on the frontline in Ukraine, had quickly advanced north to the Lipetsk Region, which is only around 230 miles south of Moscow.
For now, Wagner will return to their “field camps,” which Prigozhin claimed is all “according to plan,” Russian state media RT reported.
“They wanted to disband PMC Wagner. On June 23, we went on a March of Justice in a day. We advanced on Moscow just 200km short, and during this time we did not shed a single drop of the blood of our fighters,” he said.
Responding to the apparent attempted coup against Vladimir Putin, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said: “The plotters’ adventurist aspirations are essentially aimed at destabilizing the situation in Russia, destroying our unity and undermining Russia’s efforts to reliably ensure international security. The mutiny plays into the hands of Russia’s external enemies.
“The attempted armed mutiny in our country has aroused strong disapproval in Russian society, which firmly supports President Vladimir Putin,” the ministry continued.
“We warn the Western countries against the slightest attempts to use the internal situation in Russia for achieving their Russophobic aims. Such attempts are futile and evoke no support either in Russia or among soberly-minded political forces abroad.”