The immediate crisis around the movement of a column of forces of the Wagner private military company toward Moscow appears to have been defused by the intervention of Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus. “This morning President of Russia Vladimir Putin informed his Belarusian counterpart about the situation in Russia’s south that had been caused by the private military company Wagner. The heads of state agreed on joint actions,” the Belarusian presidential press service told BelTa. “Acting upon the agreement, the Belarus president additionally clarified the situation using his own channels and held negotiations with the Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin with approval of the Russian president.”
“The negotiations lasted for the entire day,” the press statement reported further. “As a result, the sides agreed that it is unacceptable to start a bloodbath in Russia’s territory. Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted Alexander Lukashenko’s proposal on stopping the advance of Wagner’s armed units in Russia’s territory and on further steps meant to de-escalate tensions. At present an absolutely advantageous and acceptable variant to defuse the situation is available, including safety guarantees for fighters of the private military company Wagner.”