The fate of the Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was uncertain after Belarus claimed Thursday he had returned to Russia.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that the mercenary leader, who led a short-lived mutiny, against the Kremlin is in Russia and his Wagner troops are in their field camps.
Lukashenko's statement could not be independently verified, and the Kremlin refused to comment on Prigozhin's whereabouts. But Russian media have reported he was recently seen at his offices in St. Petersburg.
It was not clear if Prigozhin's presence in Russia would violate the deal, which allowed the Wagner chief to move to Belarus in exchange for ending the rebellion and a promise of amnesty for him and his troops. But the reports signaled that the deal may have allowed him to finalize his affairs in Russia.
If that's true, it could suggest the threat posed by Prigozhin has not yet been fully defused and that the Kremlin is treading carefully with him until it can figure out what to do with troops who may still be loyal to him. Putin has said that Wagner troops can join the Russian military, retire from service or move to Belarus.
But much about the agreement, which was brokered by Lukashenko, remains murky.
Last week, Lukashenko said the mercenary leader was in Belarus, but Thursday he told international reporters that Prigozhin was in St. Petersburg and could also travel to Moscow if he so wishes, while Wagner's troops were in their camps.
He did not specify the location of the camps, but Prigozhin's mercenaries fought alongside Russian forces in eastern Ukraine before their revolt and also have bases on Russian territory.
He added that Prigozhin has been given back the cash and weapons that were confiscated by Russian authorities.
Asked where Prigozhin is, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment – even going so far as to say Russian authorities weren't able to track his movements – but reaffirmed that the deal that ended the mutiny envisaged his move to Belarus.
Lukashenko said his government offered Wagner, a private military contractor that has sent troops around the world to fight for Russia's interests, the use of Belarusian military camps but the company had not made a final decision.
The Kremlin has played down the fact that Prigozhin escaped punishment for his mutiny, saying that the deal with the Wagner chief was necessary to avoid massive bloodshed.
The Belarusian leader shrugged off suggestions that Putin might order Prigozhin killed, saying: "If you think that Putin is so vicious and vindictive to finish him off, no, it’s not going to happen."
