Moscow on Thursday said it was "not following" Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's movements as neighbouring Belarus announced the rebel mercenary group leader returned to Russia after launching an abortive mutiny two weeks ago, officials and reports said.
"We are not following his movements," AFP quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying, hours after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Prigozhin was now in Russia and not in his country.
Lukashenko mediated a deal to end Prigozhin's revolt, visibly the most serious challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule, which briefly saw the mercenary armed fighters heading towards Moscow.
The rebel private army group chief, however, abruptly stepped back and reportedly went to Belarus under a tripartite arrangement involving himself, Moscow and Minsk.
"As far as Prigozhin is concerned, he is in Saint Petersburg . . . He is not in Belarus," said Lukashenko, who has ruled isolated Belarus for nearly three decades, told reporters from foreign media outlets in Minsk.
The Belarus president said he knew "for sure" that Wagner chief was a free man, adding: "I spoke to him on the phone yesterday".
Russia state-owned TASS news agency, meanwhile today said the statements, the Kremlin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko made on Wagner PMC and its founder Prigozhin during the attempted mutiny on June 24, were "still valid"
"Let me recall the June 24 events. You remember quite lengthy revelations from Alexander Grigoryevich [Lukashenko], and we made a statement, too. All this is still valid," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov, however, refused to comment on a potential relocation of the private military company to Belarus.
Asked to comment on whether the deal to end the armed mutiny envisaged Prigozhin's departure to Belarus, the Russian presidential spokesman added, "This was also discussed, and both we and Alexander Grigoryevich talked about this".
Belarusian official Belta news agency, meanwhile, said President Lukashenko planned to meet soon with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
"He (Putin) and I have agreed to meet soon. I think we will discuss this problem, too, since we have been involved in its resolution," Lukashenko said.
He added: "And we will discuss matters of future operation of PMC Wagner. I think it is the simplest problem that will be resolved and is being resolved."
Lukashenko said it was highly unlikely Prigozhin would be neutralized though "I don't know everything and I don't want to know everything about mutual relations between Putin and Prigozhin".
"But you have to understand that Putin knows Prigozhin much better than I do. I've simply seen him during the organization of various events. Putin has known him for much longer," the Belarusian president said.
Lukashenko said he had talks with Prigozhin over phone many times with the last being Wednesday afternoon when they discussed "the matter of future actions of PMC Wagner".
"He told me one thing: 'We will work in the name of Russia, for the benefit of Russia, and we will fulfill our duty till the end, the way we will agree and the way the relevant authorities decide'."
According to BELTA when asked what would happen to Prigozhin now, Lukashenko answered "well, all kinds of things happen in life".
"But if you think that Putin is so malevolent and vindictive to have him (Prigozhin) eliminated somewhere tomorrow... No, it won't happen," he added.
