The Belarusian president would have held talks with Prigozhin

The Belarusian president said he held talks with Wagner’s boss on Saturday Paramilitary group troop movements in Russia Avoid any further escalation. “Evgeny Prigogine “Belarus has accepted the proposal of the President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of armed men of the Wagner community and measures to reduce tensions,” indicated Paul Bervoko, the unofficial Telegram channel of the Belarusian President.

According to this source, mediation took place in agreement with the Russian president Vladimir Putin And lasted all day. “What’s currently on the table, with security guarantees for Wagner’s fighters, is absolutely (…) acceptable to resolve the situation,” Pol Pervoco added.

Vladimir Putin thanked Alexander Lukashenko “for the work done,” the Belarusian president announced on Saturday. “The President of Belarus briefed the President of Russia on the results of negotiations with the management of the Wagner Group,” Minsk said in a statement, which Vladimir Putin “thanked” during the second phone conversation of the day. ., his partner “for work done”.

Wagner returns to his camp

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner paramilitary group, announced on Saturday that his men, who had been marching from southwestern Russia toward Moscow, would “return” to their camps to avoid bloodshed with security forces.

“Now is the time to bleed. So (…) our columns have turned and we are going in the opposite direction to return to the camps, according to the plan”, Evguéni Prigojine announced in Telegram in the audio released by his press service. His forces closed in on Saturday, less than 400km from the capital, after claiming to have captured the Russian army’s headquarters in Rostov (in the west), Ukraine’s nerve centre.

a “punch”

Addressing the nation on Saturday morning, Vladimir Putin, dressed in black, took on a serious air and defensive tone, accusing them of being “traitors” and vowing to “punish” them, without naming anyone who dared to challenge him. . Vladimir Putin said this is a stab in the back to our country and our people. “What we face is nothing but treachery. Betrayal caused by Evguéni Prigojine’s excessive ambitions and personal interests, he affirmed.

Vladimir Putin is “deeply mistaken” and my fighters “will not surrender,” responded Wagner’s leader, who has been critical of Russian military strategy in Ukraine for months. “We are patriots. “No one will surrender at the behest of the President, the security forces or anyone,” he said, taking a direct hit at the Russian president.

“The man from the Kremlin is very afraid”

Facing the biggest challenge since coming to power in late 1999, President Putin denounced “treason” and warned of “civil war”. The Kremlin urged Western countries not to try to “use Russia’s internal situation to achieve their Russophobic goals”. “All objectives of the special military operation (in Ukraine) will be achieved,” the Foreign Ministry said.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Wagner’s rebellion showed that “the Russian leadership has no control over anything.” “The Kremlin man is obviously very scared and hiding somewhere,” he said. His army said on Saturday it was “advancing in all directions” on the eastern front, saying it had launched fresh offensives there.

Exception actions

The advance of Wagner’s troops into Russia led the authorities to take exceptional security measures. Moscow’s mayor called on residents to limit travel in the city, describing the situation as “difficult” and declaring Monday a non-working day. “I read the news this morning and I was very surprised. I don’t know how to react to that,” Elena, a 35-year-old Muscovite, told AFP.

The Russian region of Kaluga, the regional capital 180 km south of Moscow, has introduced travel restrictions in response to the insurgency. Since the mutiny of the Wagner group was announced on Friday night, their forces have been seen in three Russian regions: Rostov, Voronezh and Lipetsk.

(AFP)Show comments