Lukashenko says Prigozhin never asked for security guarantees, was previously warned of impending assassination attempt
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told journalists that Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin never asked him for security guarantees, reports Belarusian state-run news agency Belta.
According to Lukashenko, he was not required to guarantee Prigozhin’s safety.
I am not supposed to ensure Prigozhin’s security. That’s the first point. The second point is that we’ve never spoken along these lines. Thirdly, I want you to remember that [the issue of] security came up twice. The first time was when I called him and negotiations were underway as they marched on Moscow. I told him, “Yevgeny, do you understand that you’ll get people killed and that you’ll die yourself?” In the heat of the moment, this person (who just came from the front): said, “The hell with it, I’ll die!” I say “Yevgeny, I’ll send you a rope and a piece of soap.” “No, no, no, not like that. I’ll die a hero.” That’s how the first conversation went. The second time was when he came to me with [Wagner commander] Dmitry Utkin. I categorically warned them: “Guys, watch out.”
He also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wasn’t involved in downing Prigozhin’s plane.
I can’t say who did it. […] But I know Putin. He’s a prudent, very calm, and even slow-paced person when it comes to addressing other, less complex issues. That’s why I can’t imagine that Putin did this, that Putin’s to blame. The work is too rough, unprofessional, for that matter.
Lukashenko added that Wagner Group “will live in Belarus, no matter how much someone wouldn’t want it.” According to him, together with Prigozhin, they set up a system for Wagner to be located in Belarus.
Lukashenko also said that he received information of an impending assassination attempt on Prigozhin while the Belarusian president was last in the United Arab Emirates. He said that they summoned the Russian ambassador and gave him information to pass along to Putin and FSB director Alexander Bortnikov. According to Lukashenko, he later checked with Prigozhin to see if the information had reached him, who reportedly confirmed that Putin had warned him about the assassination plot.