The Belarusian leader explained: Putin wanted Prigojin to be killed, I prevented him

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who played a mediating role in the crisis, shared the most important details about the Wagner uprising, the mercenary group that rocked Russia.

Wagner’s leader Yevgeni Prigojin, who played a pivotal role in the Ukraine war but has been a strong critic of the Russian military for months, launched an uprising against Putin’s administration over the weekend with his accompanying fighters. The events known as the “coup attempt” revealed the deep division of the country.

Although the crisis seems to have ended in less than 24 hours with the Belarusian mediation agreement, its effects continue. Declaring Prigojin a “traitor” after the uprising and saying “We will punish him in the harshest way”, Putin allowed the leader and Wagner members to go to Belarus with the deal.

Belarusian leader Lukashenko is one of Putin’s closest people and has provided great support for Russia in the Ukraine war.

‘THEY WILL CRUSH YOU LIKE INSECTS’

The mediator, the Belarusian leader Lukashenko, made some statements yesterday that would set the agenda for those burning moments. Pointing out that Putin, with whom he spoke by phone during the crisis, wanted Pyrgojin killed, Lukashenko said he convinced the Russian leader not to make a hasty decision.

“I told him: ‘Don’t do it, a bad peace is better than any war,'” the Belarusian leader said, adding that he then offered to withdraw to Prigojin, with whom he spoke later. Saying the Wagner leader was exhausted and made emotional decisions because of the killing of many of his fighters in Ukraine, Lukashenko claimed he told him “the Russians will squash you like insects.”

Arguing that his goal was not to overthrow Putin, Prigojin arrived in Belarus yesterday.

‘HE WAS HALF CRAZY’

Lukashenko on meeting Prigojin, whom he describes as an “old friend” and a “hero”, said: “It was an extraordinary speech. Curses were flying in the air,” he said. Lukashenko claimed that the Wagner leader entered Russian territory “half crazy” during the revolt and spent hours trying to persuade him to withdraw.

Lukashenko also said that he met again with Prigojin, who arrived yesterday in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Noting that the Wagner leader claimed that some fighters will join the Russian army, the Belarusian leader also stated that he expects a guarantee from Putin that Prigojin fighters will not be harmed.

Rejecting the claim that Wagner’s fighters would protect Russia’s nuclear weapons in Belarus, Lukashenko suggested that Wagner could train Belarusian soldiers.