Lukashenko claims that he agreed with Prigozhin on “de-escalation”

The press service of the Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko stated that, according to the agreement with Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko held negotiations with the head of PMC “Wagner” Evgeny Prigozhin, who – according to the Russian authorities – started an armed rebellion the day before.

As stated in the press service of Lukashenko, as a result of the negotiations, they “came to agreements on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia”, and Prigozhin accepted the proposal of “Ukashenko” to stop the movement of armed personnel of the Wagner company on the territory of Russia and further steps to de-escalate tensions “.
“At the moment on the table is an absolutely favorable and acceptable option to resolve the situation, with guarantees of safety for the fighters of PMC Wagner”, – the press service stated. No details are given.

Neither Prigozhin nor official representatives of the Russian authorities have yet commented on the message.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin characterized Prigozhin’s actions (he did not name him by name) as treason and armed rebellion, the FSB opened a criminal case against him, and representatives of various levels of government promised to suppress the rebellion. This happened after Prigozhin, accusing the Ministry of Defense of Russia of attacking PMC detachments, announced a march on Moscow with the aim of obtaining the resignation of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense. PMC detachments took control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don, and advanced columns, as reported on Saturday afternoon, reached the Lipetsk region on their way to Moscow.