Wagner Warlord Seen for the First Time Since Being Exiled; Welcomes Fighters ‘To Hell’ as He Promises New 'Beginning' for the Mercenary Group
Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin stepped out of hiding this week for the first time since his exile to Belarus, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a surprising development to come nearly one month after Vladimir Putin’s mercenary chief-turned-chief mutineer launched a violent coup against Moscow and the Russian leader on June 24, Prigozhin appeared in a nearly six-minute-long Telegram video on Wednesday from his new mercenary base in Belarus.
Prigozhin used Wednesday’s video to once again call Russia’s war against Ukraine a “disgrace.” He also indicated that his Wagner Private Military Company will remain in Belarus “for some time.”
“You have done a lot for Russia,” he said in the Telegram video. “What is happening at the front now is a disgrace in which we do not need to take part. We must wait for the moment when we can show our worth to the maximum.”
“That’s why it was decided that we will be here in Belarus for some time,” Prigozhin added.
Putin’s exiled mercenary chief also revealed his plans to make the Belarusian army “the second army in the world” and that, after setting off for a “new path to Africa,” will “maybe return” to the conflict in Ukraine.
“During this time, we will make the Belarusian army the second army in the world. And if necessary, we will go to bat for them,” he said. “Be careful not to hurt any of them.”
“We’re gathering our strength, and for a new path to Africa,” Prigozhin continued. “And maybe we’ll return to Ukraine when we can be sure we won’t be forced to bring shame to ourselves and our experience.”
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Meanwhile, Dmitry Utkin – another Wagner commander whom the private military company was reportedly named after – also spoke to the Belarus-based mercenaries.
According to Utkin, the group’s move to Belarus marked a “new beginning” for Wagner. He also welcomed the fighters “to Hell.”
“This is not the end,” Utkin said. “This is only the beginning of the biggest work that will be carried out very soon.”
“Welcome to Hell!” he added.
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Prigozhin essentially disappeared after he launched a botched coup against Putin and Moscow late last month.
The Wagner chief accepted amnesty in Belarus but was not seen in public until Wagner released the new video to Telegram on Wednesday.
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