Wagner Group head says his troops to remain in Belarus 'for some time'

ISTANBUL

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the paramilitary Wagner Group, said in his first public appearance since the attempted mutiny late last month that his forces will remain in Belarus "for some time," according to media reports on Wednesday.

“Now what is happening at the front (in Ukraine) is a shame in which we do not need to participate. And wait for the moment when we can prove ourselves in full. Therefore, it was decided that we will be here, in Belarus, for some time,” Prigozhin said in a message to Wagner Group forces, a video of which was shared by pro-Wagner Telegram channels.

He said Wagner Group forces "fought with dignity" and "did a lot for Russia," and now they intend to turn the Belarusian army into "the second army of the world" and that they "will stand up for them" if necessary.

Prigozhin directed his forces to avoid offending Belarusians while in the country and to treat them "like brothers," urging them to prepare for "a new path, to Africa."

"And, perhaps, we will return (to Ukraine) to the special military operation when we are certain that we will not be forced to humiliate ourselves or our experience," he added.

On June 24, Prigozhin accused the Russian Defense Ministry of attacking the group’s fighters, declared a “March of Justice” and set off toward Moscow.

The Russian Federal Security Service designated the group’s action “an armed rebellion” and opened a criminal case against Prigozhin, while Russian President Vladimir Putin called the private military company's uprising an act of “treason.”

Prigozhin later turned back “to avoid bloodshed” and has since moved to Belarus under a deal brokered by President Alexander Lukashenko.