MINSK: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed on Tuesday that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization, has arrived in Belarus. This development follows a recent mutiny led by Prigozhin in Russia over the weekend.
During a meeting with Belarusian officers, Lukashenko announced Prigozhin’s presence in Belarus, stating, “I can see Prigozhin is already flying on the plane. Yes, indeed, today he is in Belarus,” as reported by state media. It remains unclear whether Prigozhin had already arrived in Belarus or was still en route at the time of Lukashenko’s statement.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 revealed that an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet was detected in the Rostov region of Russia and subsequently began its descent near Minsk, Belarus. The aircraft’s identification codes matched those associated with a jet linked to Autolex Transport, a company connected to Prigozhin according to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces sanctions.
Prigozhin, a 62-year-old former petty thief who became one of Russia’s most powerful mercenaries, was last seen publicly when he departed from Rostov on Saturday, expressing his satisfaction with having “cheered up” people.
Under a deal brokered by Lukashenko on Saturday to quell the mutiny led by Prigozhin’s mercenary fighters, Prigozhin was expected to relocate to Belarus.
Russian President Denounces Armed Mutiny
In a televised address to the nation on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the leaders of the “armed mutiny,” accusing them of betraying Russia and its people. However, he expressed gratitude to the army, law enforcement, and special services for their resistance against the mutineers. Putin paid tribute to the pilots who lost their lives during the mutiny and instructed Russian forces to refrain from further bloodshed. He also thanked the mercenaries from the Wagner Group who backed away from the brink of “armed rebellion” and violence on Saturday.
Prigozhin’s recent actions, which he referred to as a “march for justice,” aimed to settle scores with Russia’s military leadership, whom he accused of treason and corruption. This episode has raised concerns about potential turmoil in Russia while undermining Putin’s reputation as an unchallenged leader.
In a recorded 11-minute audio message released on the Telegram messaging app, Prigozhin stated that the mutiny was not intended to overthrow the Russian government but rather to protest what he deemed as its ineffective conduct of the war in Ukraine.
The Federal Security Service announced that it had dropped the criminal case against Prigozhin for armed mutiny, while the defense ministry stated that the Wagner Group was preparing to transfer its heavy military equipment to the Russian army.
