Belarus's authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka said the “core” of the Wagner mercenary group -- about 10,000 fighters -- will remain in his country in his first comments since the presumed death of the organization’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a suspicious plane crash in Russia. "Wagner lived. Wagner is living. And Wagner will live in Belarus. The core remains here," he said in comments reported by the Belarusian state news agency BelTA on August 25. "As long as we need this unit, they will live and work with us." Following Prigozhin’s short-lived mutiny in late June against the Russian military, Lukashenka helped broker a deal that supposedly guaranteed the Russian mercenary leader’s safety and allowed his fighters to relocate to Belarus. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Belarus Service,click here.
Lukashenka Says 'Core' Of Wagner Fighters Will Remain In Belarus
"Wagner lived. Wagner is living. And Wagner will live in Belarus. The core remains here," Lukashenka said. (file photo)