Lukashenko Says That During Revolt, Putin Suggested Killing Mercenary Chief

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/06/27/world/russia-ukraine-news
https://archive.ph/nEVi6

Lukashenko Says That During Revolt, Putin Suggested Killing Mercenary Chief
President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus said that he had argued against the move, and confirmed that Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, had arrived in the country, Belarusian state media reported.
June 27, 2023 Updated 8:12 p.m. ET

The Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin arrived in Belarus on Tuesday, the Belarusian state news media reported, ending days of speculation over his whereabouts after he called off a weekend uprising that marked the most dramatic challenge to President Vladimir V. Putin’s rule in two decades.

New details emerged about the negotiations that ended the daylong rebellion, as President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus, Russia’s closest ally, described his phone conversations with Mr. Putin and Mr. Prigozhin as the Wagner mercenaries were marching to Moscow on Saturday.

According to his own account reported in Belarusian state media, Mr. Lukashenko said Mr. Putin had raised the possibility of killing Mr. Prigozhin. But Mr. Lukashenko said that he had urged against a rushed response, saying that “a bad peace is better than any war.” The Belarusian leader said that he had then called Mr. Prigozhin, warning him that Mr. Putin intended to “squash him like a bug.” The account could not be immediately confirmed.

In Moscow, Mr. Putin praised his security forces in a highly choreographed speech, portraying the rebellion as a heroic episode for the Russian state and thanking the military for having “essentially stopped a civil war,” state media reported.

It was the latest in a series of appearances since the mutiny in which Mr. Putin has tried to seize the political initiative, suggesting Mr. Prigozhin has enriched himself at the country’s expense and indirectly warning of consequences for officials who helped him do so.

[GregariousGroundhog]

1. It wouldn't surprise me if we see Prigozhin meet an untimely death at some point

The FSB and SVR are no stranger to targeted assassinations.

[2naSalit]

2. I feel confident...

That this is why nobody knows where he is right now.

[lark]

7. Yes, I see a high window fall in his near future. n.t.

[speak easy]

8. Prigozhin is protected by an elite core of ex-special forces.

Putin could have killed him with a S300 during the mutiny, but he was operating from the command HQ of the Southern Military District which includes Chechnya, and occupied Crimea and Ukraine. The price would have been too high.

[Johonny]

3. Get out of town

Really, Putin thought about killing him. I think we all took that for granted.

[DFW]

4. Lukashenko is a Putin puppet. His mouth utters Putin's words.

If he said that, it’s because Putin wanted him to.

[LuckyLib]

5. All three of these capos are spinning their own version of whatever happened, puffing themselves up

as they go.

[Xolodno]

6. How do you know Lukashenko is lying?

His lips are moving.

There are rumors that a chunk of Prigozhin troops have quietly "moved" to Ukraine. Add to that Putin has stated he's still on the fence on making another go at Kyiv.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-says-ukraines-losses-are-vast-so-far-failed-counteroffensive-2023-06-13/

This could all be a ruse to get battle hardened troops into Belarus while offering plausible deniability. There were two main actors in this, Putin and Lukashenko, now we have a third which, surprise, doesn't seem to answer either one of them. And if you believe that, let me tell you about this bridge I have for sale.