29-6-2023 (MOSCOW) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko revealed that he convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin not to eliminate mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, following what the Kremlin portrayed as a mutiny that could have led Russia into civil war.
Initially, Putin had vowed to crush the mutiny, drawing parallels to the turbulent period during the revolution of 1917 and subsequent civil war. However, a deal was struck hours later to allow Prigozhin and some of his fighters to seek refuge in Belarus.
On Tuesday (Jun 27), Prigozhin flew from Russia to Belarus, marking his relocation.
During a conversation with Putin on Saturday, Lukashenko used a Russian criminal slang phrase that signifies killing someone, equivalent to the English expression “wipe out”.
Lukashenko stated at a meeting with his army officials and journalists on Tuesday, as reported by Belarusian state media, “I also understood: a brutal decision had been made (and it was the undertone of Putin’s address) to wipe out the mutineers. I suggested to Putin not to rush. ‘Come on,’ I said, ‘Let’s talk with Prigozhin, with his commanders.’ To which he told me: ‘Listen, Sasha, it’s useless. He doesn’t even pick up the phone, he doesn’t want to talk to anyone’.”
In 1999, Putin had used the same Russian verb when referring to Chechen militants, vowing to “wipe them out in the shithouse,” a statement that became emblematic of his tough persona and was widely quoted.
The Kremlin has not yet commented on Lukashenko’s remarks, which provide a rare glimpse into the conversations within the Kremlin as Russia, according to Putin’s own account, teetered on the brink of a level of turmoil not witnessed in decades.
As both an old acquaintance of Prigozhin and a close ally of Putin, Lukashenko advised the Russian president to consider the broader implications, stating that eliminating Prigozhin could provoke a widespread revolt by his fighters.
Lukashenko also highlighted that his own army could benefit from the experience of the Wagner troops, who, under the agreement reached with the Kremlin, are now allowed to relocate to Belarus. The state agency BelTA quoted Lukashenko as saying, “This is the most well-trained unit in the army. Who would argue with that? My military also understands this, and we don’t have such personnel in Belarus.”
Later, Lukashenko addressed his military, stating, “People fail to understand that we are approaching this in a pragmatic way… They’ve been through it, they’ll tell us about the weaponry – what worked well, what didn’t.”
Prigozhin suspended what he referred to as the “march of justice” on Moscow from the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, which was within 200km of the capital, following Lukashenko’s intervention.
