Wagner Group's Prigozhin Is Back in Russia, Lukashenko Says

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced that Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin is back in Russia, despite the oligarch-turned-warlord's deal with the Kremlin to accept exile in Belarus after his mutiny last month.

The Belarusian dictator had said on June 27 that Prigozhin—who has long been close to Lukashenko—had arrived in his country as part of the deal to end the brief Wagner uprising against the Defense Ministry, in which mercenaries seized the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and even threatened a march on Moscow.

But Reuters reported that Lukashenko said on Thursday: "As for Prigozhin, he's in St Petersburg. He is not on the territory of Belarus."

Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin by email to request comment.

The Wagner chief has reportedly been seen in St Petersburg and Moscow in recent days, as he negotiates with the authorities over the dissolution of commercial interests in Russia and the return of assets—including more than $100 million in cash and gold bars—seized by investigators after the mutiny.

Lukashenko's remarks pose a problem for President Vladimir Putin and his top officials, who quickly defeated the Wagner revolt but were unwilling or unable to hold Prigozhin to account for what Putin initially described as "treason."

Wagner fighters are said to have been given a choice between disarming, accepting contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry or joining Prigozhin in Belarus. Lukashenko said on Thursday that his offer of sanctuary for Wagner fighters still stands.

Recent satellite images suggest that camps are being constructed in Belarus to house thousands of Wagner fighters. NATO officials have told Newsweek that the arrival of the fighters could pose a renewed threat to the alliance's eastern frontiers.

Wagner recruiters are reportedly still active inside Russia, however, and the Pentagon has said its fighters remain on the battlefields of Ukraine.

After days of silence, a new recording of Prigozhin emerged this week in which he promised fresh victories "in the near future."

"I want you to understand that our 'March of Justice' was aimed at fighting traitors and mobilizing our society," he said. "And I think we have achieved a lot of it… Today more than ever we need your support. Thank you for that."

It remains to be seen how many Wagner fighters take up Lukashenko's offer. The Belarusian pro-democratic opposition in exile has told Newsweek that the country will not be a safe haven for the troops, suggesting they will be caught between a vengeful Kremlin and a hostile local population.

Opposition aide Franak Viacorka said earlier this week that Prigozhin's ambitions would likely lead him back to Russia before long and warned that Wagner's presence in the country could sow tensions within Lukashenko's military and security establishment. The president said on Thursday he does not perceive a risk to hosting Wagner fighters in Belarus.

Update 07/06/23, 6:00 a.m. ET: This article was updated to add extra information.