Lukashenko says tensions between Wagner and the Russian military were mishandled

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that persistent tensions between the Wagner paramilitary group and the Russian military had been mishandled, prompting a “confrontation” between the two sides on Friday and Saturday.

“The situation escaped us, then we thought it would resolve itself, but it did not,” Lukashenko admitted to reporters, quoted by the state news agency Belta.

“There are no heroes in this story,” he said, calling the events of the weekend “painful.”

“If Russia collapses, we will stay under the rubble”

Lukashenko acted as a mediator between the Kremlin and Wagner to reach an agreement on Saturday, according to which the leader of the paramilitary group, Evgeny Prigokhine, must in particular leave Russia for Belarus.

“My position (is as follows): if Russia collapses, we will remain under the rubble, we will all die,” Lukashenko said again to justify the help he offered, according to Moscow, to the Kremlin, to settle the crisis with Wagner. .

The Belarusian leader, Vladimir Putin’s main ally, also assured that he had ordered his army to be “ready for combat” after the start of the rebellion of the Wagner paramilitary group in Russia.

“I gave all the orders for the army to be fully combat ready,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying by the state news agency Belta. This move shows the concern raised by Wagner’s armed revolt on Friday and Saturday.

Lukashenko still punishes the West

Lukashenko also once again accused the West of wanting to destabilize the region.

“They are trying to blow up our country, our entire region,” he said.

“We are clearly witnessing a new wave of NATO enlargement and an unprecedented increase in the (military) potential of the Alliance member countries in the region, including in the immediate vicinity of our borders,” he said, attacking the press. , denouncing “a show of force”.

“The worst thing is that if there had been a period of unrest (in Russia), they would have taken advantage of it instantly in the West,” he finally judged, quoted by Belta.