Wagner boss Prigozhin never went to Belarus, used body double to appear as if he fled Russia: US official
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin
Initially, it was said that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was exiled to Belarus. Days later, reports emerged that the mercenary group’s boss was seen in Russia’s St. Petersburg, contradicting the earlier reports. Now a new piece of information has come to the fore that can be described as bizarre, to say the least.
A new theory is doing the rounds that Prigozhin never went to Belarus after all—which was part of a deal brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who took credit for convincing Russian President Vladimir Putin not to eliminate the mercenary chief for attempting a coup.
An unnamed Pentagon official told The New York Times that Prigozhin was actually in Russia the whole time in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt and that he may have employed a body double to make it appear as if he fled Russia.
The official also claimed that none of the Wagner troops were sent to Belarus, and most are still in eastern Ukraine.
Seen in Russia
On Thursday, Lukashenko told reporters that it was unclear if the Wagner fighters would come to Belarus after he previously offered them a desert military base.
“As for Prigozhin, he's in St Petersburg. He is not on the territory of Belarus," he said.
Responding to Lukashenko's remarks, the Kremlin said it was "not following" Prigozhin's movements.
"No, we do not follow his movements, we have neither the ability nor the desire to do so," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
Though Prigozhin's whereabouts remain a mystery, BBC claimed to have tracked the Wagner chief’s private jet, saying that it flew to Belarus in late June, but returned to Russia the same evening.
The UK-based news outlet further claimed that it found several flights between St Petersburg and Moscow, although it could not be confirmed if Prigozhin was on board.
Russian state TV shows 'The Riches' of Wagner chief
The failed coup attempt
On June 24, Prigozhin announced a coup against the Kremlin after growing discontent with the top Russian defence officials.
The mercenary groups took control of Rostov-on-Don—one of Russia’s largest cities—but did not proceed further saying that they want to avoid “shedding Russian blood” and agreed to live in exile in Belarus.
Initially, Putin accused the group of treason and sought to eliminate Prigozhin, once Putin’s ally, but Lukashenko claimed to have intervened in the matter, and negotiated a peace deal between the two.
Under the deal, Prigozhin was promised security and the Russian criminal case against Wagner was dropped.
Its fighters were told they could either sign regular army contracts, go home or head to Belarus.
(With inputs from agencies)
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