The self-proclaimed president of Belarus Oleksandr Lukashenko spoke about the start of negotiations with the head of the PMC "Wagner" Yevhen Pryhozhyn during the rebellion in Russia and confirmed that he was already in Belarus.
According to Lukashenko, Putin called him — he advised him not to rush into a cruel decision regarding Pryhozhyn.
"I understood: a cruel decision was made — to kill. I suggested Putin to take him some time. I say [to Putin], letʼs talk with Pryhozhyn, with his commanders. To which he said to me: "Listen, Sasha, itʼs useless. He doesnʼt even pick up the phone, he doesnʼt want to talk to anyone," Lukashenko noted.
General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov also played a "significant role" in organizing the negotiations. FSB director Oleksandr Bortnikov also took part in the first stage of negotiations.
"At 11:00 he [Pryhozhyn] immediately picked up the phone. That is, Yevkurov called him, gave him the phone: "Here, the president of Belarus is calling, would you like to talk?" — "I will [talk] with Oleksandr Hryhorovych." I can hear their conversation. He picked up the phone. Conversation is euphoria. Yevhen is full of euphoria," added Lukashenko.
When he called Pryhozhin, he immediately allegedly told him that "no one will ever give Shoihu and Herasimov away." Pryhozhyn said he wanted "justice," but was warned that he would be "squished like a bug."
During the first round of negotiations, the conversation was exclusively swearing and lasted 30 minutes. Lukashenko claims that he had a long conversation with Pryhozhyn. At the end, he warned that he would send Belarusian special forces to Moscow.
It will be recalled that on June 24, after a conversation with Lukashenko, Pryhozhyn decided to return the fighters of the PMC "Wagner" to the field camps and abandon the march to Moscow. Also, after the mutiny, it became known that Pryhozhyn would go to Belarus (his private plane flew there in the morning of June 27).
- On the evening of June 23, the founder of the PMC "Wagner" Yevhen Pryhozhyn accused the Russian military of having struck the rear camp of mercenaries — "a huge number of fighters died." The command to destroy the PMC "Wagner" was allegedly given by Chief of the General Staff Valery Herasimov after a meeting with Defense Minister Serhiy Shoihu. Pryhozhyn announced the beginning of the "march of justice", took control of Rostovʼs military facilities, including the airfield, and the "Wagnerians" began to move towards Moscow.
- On the evening of June 24, Lukashenko agreed with Pryhozhyn "about the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloody massacre on the territory of Russia." Then Pryhozhyn informed that they were disbanding the columns and returning to the field camps. After that, it became known that Pryhozhyn would go to Belarus (Ukraine was assured that there was no threat of an attack by the "Wagnerians" from the north ).
- On June 26, Yevhen Pryhozhyn said that he started the mutiny in Russia because the local authorities wanted to liquidate the PMC from July 1 and transfer the fighters to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.