MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. The Kremlin is "absolutely fine" with the Belarusian leader’s revelations about his role in stopping the Wagner mutiny, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured reporters.
"Absolutely fine," was Peskov’s comment on Alexander Lukashenko’s news conference yesterday, in which he chronicled the details of the June 24 events and his role in suppressing the Wagner PMC’s mutiny.
However, the Kremlin spokesman refused to say whether Russian President Vladimir Putin had given instructions to "wipe out" Wagner fighters, a detail mentioned by Lukashenko.
"I’d refrain from commenting on this. You’d better turn to the Belarusian presidential office for any clarifications," Peskov said.
On the evening of June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner PMC, alleged on his Telegram channel that Wagner units had been attacked, accusing Russia’s top brass of complicity in the situation. The Defense Ministry, in turn, called the information false.
Wagner units, supported by Prigozhin, headed for Rostov-on-Don and then turned toward Moscow. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case concerning a call for armed insurrection. Putin called Wagner’s actions a betrayal in a televised address.
Later, by agreement with Putin, Lukashenko held talks with Prigozhin, following which the Wagner fighters stood down and retreated to their base camp. Criminal charges were dropped against Prigozhin, the FSB said.