The message comes in a video where Prigozhin welcomes the mercenaries to Belarus.
Both he and the soldiers who wanted to continue following him were offered amnesty after the uprising just under a month ago. The condition was that they went into exile in Belarus, Russia’s neighbor and closest ally.
The welcome video is the first video recording of Prigozhin since he and the Wagner soldiers broke off their march on Moscow.
– Welcome guys… Welcome to Belarusian soil, says Prigozhin in the video, which has been shared on the Telegram messaging service.
– We fought with honor. You have done a lot for Russia. What happens at the front is a shame and something we don’t need to get involved in, says the mercenary leader. It has not been verified when the video was recorded.
In the video, he receives a black Wagner flag with the force’s motto “Blood, honour, motherland, courage”.
The Wagner manager: – Shameful
Ask the mercenaries to gather strength
President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus recently said that Wagner is training soldiers at a military site southeast of the capital, Minsk.
In the video, Prigozhin instructs the soldiers to behave nicely towards the local population. He orders them to train Belarus’s army and gather forces for “a new journey to Africa”.
– And perhaps we will return to the military special operation at some point. When we are sure that we will not be forced to spoil ourselves, says the Wagner manager. Russian authorities avoid the word “war” and refer to the invasion and war in Ukraine as a “military special operation”.
SECURING ELECTIONS: What are supposed to be Wagner soldiers are said to have arrived in the Central African Republic this week. Photo: Reuters Show more
Operates in several African countries
The Russian Wagner group is a private military company with mercenaries.
In addition to having participated in Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the group has sent soldiers to a number of countries, including Syria, Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Mozambique.
The group is accused of war crimes in several of these countries.
Several hundred experienced Wagner soldiers are said to have arrived in the Central African Republic this week, a private security company in Bangui stated earlier this week.
The soldiers will reportedly secure a planned referendum in the impoverished country on 30 July. It concerns a constitutional amendment that gives President Faustin Archange Touadera a third presidential term.
In recent weeks, there have been rumors that Wagner fighters were on their way out of the Central African Republic.
But it is rejected by the government of the Central African Republic, and nothing has been said from Wagner’s side that the business in Syria and Africa should end.
2023-07-19 16:39:42
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