Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has extended an invitation to Wagner Group mercenaries to provide military training in his country. Lukashenko hinted at this invitation during a speech on Belarus‘ Independence Day, as reported by state news agency Belta.
Lukashenko stated, “Unfortunately, they (Wagner mercenaries) are not here. And if their instructors, as I already told them, come and pass on combat experience to us, we will accept this experience.”
This invitation comes just a week after Lukashenko played a crucial role in diffusing an armed rebellion by Wagner forces against Moscow. In a series of dramatic events that posed a significant threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin had directed his forces towards the Russian capital, taking control of military facilities in two Russian cities. Prigozhin claimed this action was a response to a Russian military attack on a Wagner camp.
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The crisis was resolved when Lukashenko brokered a deal whereby Prigozhin would relocate to Belarus. As part of the same agreement, Wagner troops were given the option to either join the Russian military or law enforcement agencies, return to their families and friends, or go to Belarus.
During his speech, Lukashenko expressed fearlessness towards the Wagner Group members, stating that he had known them for a long time. He described them as individuals who fought around the world to establish a civilized society, while also claiming that the West held deep animosity towards them.
Lukashenko also warned of an impending “world-scale military-political crisis unprecedented in the history of mankind” and criticized the West for its failure to recognize the need for dialogue in resolving the situation. He accused the European Union and the United States of rapidly arming Poland and using it as a proxy training ground against Belarus and Russia, drawing parallels to the situation in Ukraine.
Moreover, Lukashenko claimed to have convinced Putin not to “destroy” the Wagner group and its leader, Prigozhin. He suggested that Prigozhin would have met a dire fate had the Wagner troops continued their advance towards Moscow, comparing it to crushing a bug. However, the exact whereabouts of Prigozhin remain unknown.
Interestingly, Lukashenko’s speech coincided with the closure of a Russian media group affiliated with Prigozhin. The Patriot media group, which includes outlets such as the Federal News Agency, People’s News, Economy Today, Nevskiye Novosti, and Politics Today, announced the cessation of its operations and departure from the country’s information landscape. The CEO of the Federal News Agency, Yevgeny Zubarev, revealed this development and highlighted that the Patriot suite of websites had attracted a significant traffic of 300 million unique visitors.
Furthermore, Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor reportedly restricted access to media sites associated with Patriot. Prigozhin, the founder of the private military company Wagner, had recently held a position as the deputy head of Patriot’s supervisory board.
