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BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg invited to a 4-hour “conversation” with President Lukashenko
Article related informationJournalist, Correspondent Steve Rosenberg, BBC Russian Editor
4 hours ago
The rebellion of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian private mercenary company ‘Wagner Group’, ended shortly after it happened. And the mediator at this time was Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. At least that’s how it is known.
Therefore, if there is anyone who can shed a ray of light on understanding this mysterious incident, President Lukashenko would be the best candidate. At least we hope so.
A small group of journalists, including BBC reporters, were invited to Minsk’s “Palace of Independence” for a “conversation” with President Lukashenko.
President Lukashenko, whose health anomaly was strongly raised until just a few weeks ago, appeared to be full of stamina. Our “conversation” lasted almost four hours.
But instead of shedding the necessary light on understanding the circumstances of the incident, Lukashenko seemed to obscure it even more.
Earlier, it is known that Prigozhin had reached an agreement with the Russian Kremlin to go to Belarus with some of his men.
But this hasn’t happened yet.
“As of this morning, the Wagner group fighters are still in the places where they have been since they were evacuated from (Ukraine) Bakhmut,” Lukashenko said during a meeting with reporters.
“Prigozhin is in St. Petersburg (Russia). Or maybe I flew to Moscow this morning. Or maybe it’s somewhere else. At least not in Belarus.”
In response, a BBC reporter asked if the deal between the Wagner Group and the Kremlin had been cancelled.
But President Lukashenko said no. It felt like there were conversations going on behind the scenes that we wouldn’t hear.
PHOTO SOURCE BELARUS PRESIDENTIAL POOL
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A handful of reporters, including BBC reporter Steve Rosenberg (left by the door), were able to “talk” with President Lukashenko for about four hours.
Meanwhile, the views of the Russian and Belarusian authorities on the rebellion were not completely aligned.
Over the weekend, Russian state television claimed that President Vladimir Putin had emerged as a hero through the dramatic event.
However, President Lukashenko said, “I don’t think there are any heroes in this situation.”
“Not Prigozhin, not President Putin, not me. There were no heroes. And what are the lessons to be learned here? If you organize an armed group (such as the Wagner group), you need to keep an eye on them and continue to pay serious attention to them.”
Meanwhile, the subject of the “conversation” between reporters and President Lukashenko turned to nuclear weapons. In particular, attention was drawn to the nuclear warheads that Russian authorities said had been moved to Belarus.
Photo credit: Getty Images
picture explanation,
Lukashenko, once a troublemaker, has come to rely more and more on Putin after the controversial 2020 Belarusian presidential election
President Lukashenko recently said, “I hope I will never use this nuclear warhead,” but “but I will not hesitate to use it.”
A BBC reporter inquired about the remark.
President Lukashenko said, “Even Joe Biden (US President) and Rishi Sunak (British Prime Minister) can say this,” and “my friend Xi Jinping (Chinese President) and my older brother President Putin are the same.”
In response, the reporters said, “But aren’t the nuclear warheads mentioned here belonging to Belarus? “It is a Russian weapon. Whether or not to use it is not a matter for President Lukashenko to decide,” he pointed out.
President Lukashenko said, “In Ukraine, all armed forces are fighting armed with foreign weapons. Isn’t it?” he replied.
“They are all weapons of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Because the Ukrainian army has run out of weapons. Then why can’t I fight with someone else’s weapon?”
In response, the reporters replied that what we are talking about now is nuclear weapons, not weapons like pistols.
“Nuclear, that’s right. Nuclear is also a weapon. tactical nuclear weapons.”
As you can guess from these remarks, President Lukashenko is a controversial figure in the international community.
First of all, the US, EU and UK do not recognize him as the legitimate president of Belarus. In 2020, Belarusian citizens took to the streets claiming that Lukashenko manipulated the results of the presidential election. However, their protests were brutally suppressed.
BBC reporters also spoke about Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kalesnikava, who was imprisoned for leading anti-government protests.
“For months, relatives and lawyers have not been able to see Kalesnikaba. When asked what the reason was, Lukashenko insisted, “I don’t know anything about this matter.”
Not stopping there, the BBC reporters said, “As of the last fall of 2021, when we last interviewed the president, there were 873 political prisoners in Belarus. But now that number has increased to 1,500.”
The only answer came back: “There is no provision on political crimes in the Belarusian Criminal Code.”
When he pointed out again that just because there is no provision on political prisoners does not mean that there are no political prisoners, President Lukashenko said, “If there is no provision in the relevant law, a prisoner cannot be a political prisoner. How is that possible?” he replied.
video description,
Where is Yevgeny Prigozhin, and why is his whereabouts important?
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2023-07-07 04:54:47
