“I Know Putin – He Is Calculating, Very Calm, Even Tardy. I Cannot Imagine That Putin Did It” – Lukashenko On Prigozhin’s Death

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has said he “cannot imagine” Vladimir Putin was involved in the downing of the plane which reportedly had Yevgeny Prigozhin on board.

He said “it’s just too rough and unprofessional a job” for the Russian president to have ordered it, in remarks reported by Belarusian news agency Belta.

“I know Putin – he is calculating, very calm, even tardy,” Mr Lukashenko said.

“I cannot imagine that Putin did it, that Putin is to blame.”

Mr Lukashenko also said he warned mercenary bosses Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin – who is believed to have given the Wagner Group its name – to be alert over possible threats to their lives.

The Belarusian president, a close ally of Mr Putin, said he told Prigozhin as he led a mutinous march towards Moscow two months ago that he would “die”.

Prigozhin reportedly answered: “To hell with it – I will die.”

On whether Wagner fighters would stay in Belarus as part of the deal brokered to bring the short-lived mutiny to an end, Mr Lukashenko said: “As long as we need this unit, they will live and work with us.”

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