Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that he warned Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin to be cautious following his mutiny against the Russian military, which ultimately led to his apparent demise this week.
According to Lukashenko, he told Prigozhin, "Yevgeny, do you understand that you will doom your people and will perish yourself?" This statement was reported by Belarusian state news agency BELTA.
Various outlets have reported Prigozhin's response to this warning differently, with quotes such as "To hell with it I will die," "I will die then, damn it!" and "To hell with it, let me be killed!" being attributed to him.
Lukashenko continued his account, stating that he told Prigozhin, "Yevgeny, I will send you a rope and a piece of soap right now." He claimed that Prigozhin responded, "No, no, no. I don't want it this way. I will die a hero." According to an expert interviewed by Fox News Digital, the comment about rope and soap is an apparent Russian idiom that refers to preparing a noose for hanging or suggesting that Prigozhin should take his own life.
Lukashenko further claimed that he warned Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, another Wagner leader, to "watch out" when they visited him. The timing of this second conversation was not specified by BELTA.
In June, Prigozhin agreed to leave Russia for Belarus after his mutiny, during which he led his mercenary forces towards Moscow but stopped around 150 miles from the city to negotiate terms of surrender with Lukashenko, who acted on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Despite agreeing to live in exile, Prigozhin continued to move around in Russia. His apparent demise occurred when his plane crashed following an explosion. Russia has denied any involvement in the incident.
The Pentagon stated on Thursday that its "initial assessment" indicated that it was likely Prigozhin was killed, but it could not comment on whether his death was part of a deliberate assassination.
Lukashenko also revealed that Prigozhin never requested increased security during his time in Belarus or a return to Russia. Lukashenko claimed that he offered to talk to President Putin and ensure Prigozhin's security in Belarus. However, he emphasized that Prigozhin never asked him to pay special attention to security matters.
Lukashenko shared this anecdote to explain why he failed to fulfill his security promises to Prigozhin. He argued that it would be unfair to expect him to "ensure Prigozhin's safety in Africa" or while he was in Russia. Lukashenko stated, "This is why I am not the guy you should be asking to answer these questions. Moreover, we've never had this conversation about ensuring security in someone else's territory."
Rebekah Koffler, president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, suggested that Lukashenko may be attempting to "whitewash" his conversations and protect himself from criticism. Koffler argued that there was no deal Lukashenko could make to ensure Prigozhin's safety or go against Putin.
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