Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has invited Wagner Group mercenaries to his country to train his military.
Lukashenko alluded to the invitation in a speech on Friday (30th) dedicated to Belarus’ Independence Day, according to state news agency BelTA.
“Unfortunately, they [os mercenários do Grupo Wagner] are not here,” said Lukashenko. “And if your instructors, as I told you, come and give us combat experience, we will accept that experience.”
Lukashenko’s invitation comes a week after the Belarusian leader was credited with disarming an armed insurrection by Wagner Group forces against Moscow.
In a stunning series of events that pose the biggest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in years, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has marched his forces towards the Russian capital, taking control of military installations in two Russian cities. , in what he said was a response to a Russian military attack on a mercenary group camp.
The crisis was defused only after Lukashenko negotiated an agreement according to which Prigozhin would move to Belarus. As part of the same agreement, Wagner Group troops were given the option of enlisting in the Russian army or law enforcement agencies, returning to their family and friends, or going to Belarus.
In his speech on Friday, Lukashenko said he was not afraid of the Wagner Group members as he had “known them for a long time”.
“These are people who fought all over the world to establish a normal civilization. The West deeply hates them,” he said.
He also warned that a “worldwide politico-military crisis unprecedented in human history” was brewing and criticized the West for failing to recognize the need for dialogue to resolve it.
Lukashenko accused the European Union and the United States of “arming Poland at an accelerated pace” and claimed that the West was turning Poland into “a proxy training ground” to use it against Belarus and Russia, comparing it to to Ukraine.
“Thus, another focus of tension is being created, another stronghold is being created for the aggression of the most aggressive country in the world and, unfortunately, the most powerful – the United States,” he said.
Where is Prigozhin?
Earlier this week, the Belarusian leader claimed to have persuaded Putin not to “destroy” the Wagner Group and its boss Prigozhin, who he said would have been “squashed like a bug” had the troops continued their advance towards the Russian capital.
But Prigozhin’s exact whereabouts remain unclear.
The leader of the mercenaries was last seen leaving the city of Rostov-on-Don, in the south of Russia, last Saturday (24), after abruptly stopping the march of his troops on Moscow.
He released an audio message on Monday (26), explaining his decision to withdraw his troops.
Lukashenko said that Chief Prigozhin arrived in Belarus on Tuesday (27). While there are no videos or photos showing Prigozhin in Belarus, satellite imagery from an air base outside Minsk showed two planes linked to Prigozhin landing there on Tuesday morning.
media group off
Lukashenko’s speech came as a Russian media group associated with Prigozhin ceased operations.
The Patriot media group, which includes the Federal News Agency, People’s News, Economy Today, Nevskiye Novosti and Politics Today, would be “closing and leaving the country’s information agenda”, said Yevgeny Zubarev, CEO of the Federal News Agency. on Friday.
According to Zubarev, the total traffic of the Patriot site suite has so far reached 300 million unique visitors.
Russian state media TASS reported on Friday that Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor had restricted access to media websites belonging to Patriot.
Prigozhin, the founder of the private military company Wagner, recently served as deputy head of Patriot’s supervisory board.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
