Prigozhin had reportedly traveled to Belarus as part of a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the failed uprising, but Lukashenko told CNN’s Matthew Chance that the Wagner leader is now in Russia. Prigozhin has not been seen in public since June 24 when he left Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia.
“In terms of Yevgeny Prigozhin, he is in St. Petersburg. Or maybe this morning he would travel to Moscow or elsewhere,” Lukashenko said in response to a question from Chance during a press conference with international media in Minsk. “But he is not on the territory of Belarus now.”
Lukashenko said Moscow will determine whether the paramilitary group’s fighters will come to Belarus, saying that decision will be made “in the near future.”
In the wake of Prigozhin’s aborted insurrection in Russia, Lukashenko said he would house Wagner fighters in Belarus. Until Thursday, it was unclear whether they had arrived in Belarus.
Were Wagner to come to Belarus, Lukashenko said the mercenary fighters would be deployed “for the defense of our state.”
“The main condition is that if we need to use this unit for the defense of our state, if they are here, they will be activated instantly in any direction. Their experience will be in demand.”
Lukashenko said Wagner forces would have to sign contracts with the Belarusian government were they to be stationed in the country, clarifying that Minsk is “not building camps” for the paramilitary group.
When asked why he was offering to house a mercenary army that had rebelled against the Kremlin, Lukashenko said: “The Russians thought it was safe to have them, but they were wrong.
“I don’t think that Wagner will rise up somewhere and turn its guns against the Belarusian authorities and the Belarusian state,” Lukashenko said. “Anything can happen in life. But I don’t see such a situation today. You need to work with people.”
Belarus played a key role in the war. Russian troops launched the invasion on February 24, 2022, crossing into Ukraine from Belarus as well as Russia.
But Lukashenko said on Thursday he does not regret his country’s participation in the conflict, because “I did not take part in this process.”
“In terms of the offensive from our territory on Ukraine as you said, it’s a question for President Putin why at the end of the joint Russian-Belarusian exercises he chose the shortest path to withdraw the Russian troops through Kyiv not through Bryansk [a city in western Russia]?”
Footage shows gold, money and wigs
Also on Thursday, Russian state media released footage which purports to show a police raid on Prigozhin’s office and residence in St. Petersburg, stepping up an apparent propaganda campaign against the Wagner boss.
The footage – described by TV presenters as “scandalous” – shows what is described as a stash of gold, money and wigs, along with weapons and several passports apparently belonging to Prigozhin under different aliases.
Until recently, Russian state television lionized Wagner’s operations in Ukraine, but the outlets now appear to be vilifying the founder of the private military company following the failed uprising.
A lengthy segment aired on state television detailed Prigozhin’s criminal past, including allegations of robbery and assault as well as a lengthy sentence in a penal colony in the 1980s.
Russian state TV presenters said “there were also guns and a collection of passports with the same photo but with different names and surnames.”
Presenters also mentioned that “suspicious packages” were found during a search, insinuating that they might be drugs.
In a separate segment, Russia 24 aired a video of police raiding his office and several photographs of a richly decorated house where a wardrobe full of differently colored wigs can be seen.
Russian state television often airs dramatic footage of what are described as raids by security services and foiled terrorist plots.
Experts and human rights advocates say Russian authorities have a pattern of fabricating criminal cases against the Kremlin’s political challengers.
The Wagner-led rebellion in June signified the biggest threat to Putin’s tenure since Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022.
The Kremlin leader previously threatened a harsh response to those participating in the rebellion, suggesting fighters on “the past of treason” would be punished.
But on Thursday, Belarusian leader Lukashenko claimed Prigozhin “is free” and said he did not believe Putin would seek vengeance on the Wagner chief.
“What will happen to Prigozhin next? Well, everything happens in life. But if you think that Putin is so malicious and vindictive that he will ‘kill’ Prigozhin tomorrow – no, this will not happen.”
CNN’s Josh Pennington and Nathan Hodge contributed to this report.
