Wagner to hand military hardware to Russian army, Belarus raises alert
4 Min Read
The Belarusian President orders the country's armed forces to raise combat readiness to the highest levels after the events that unfolded in neighboring Russia.
-
Members of Wagner PMC sit atop a tank in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24, 2023 (AFP)
Russia dropped criminal charges issued last week against participants in the attempted armed mutiny in Rostov, stating that the investigations showed that their actions were halted before the crime was committed.
"During the investigation of the criminal case initiated by the investigative department of the Federal Security Service of Russia on June 23 ... on the fact of an armed rebellion, it was established that on June 24 its participants stopped actions directly aimed at committing a crime. Taking into account this and other circumstances relevant to the investigation, on June 27, the investigating authority issued a decision to close the criminal case," the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Tuesday.
On June 24, Wagner PMC chief Yevgeny Prigozhin announced on his Telegram channel storming the Rostov region and taking over the military headquarters in response to what he claims was a Russian attack on his troops earlier under the orders of the Defense Ministry, while the Ministry rejected his accusations.
Prigozhin called on the group's supporters inside the Russian Federation to join his movement and rebel against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, as well as the Chief of Staff and commander of the military operations in Ukraine Army General Valery Gerasimov.
Due to the developing events, Moscow canceled all public events as the PMC came just 6 hours away from the Russian capital amid continued advancements, while Russian security units stormed Wanger's headquarters in St. Petersburg.
Read more: Wagner's mutiny has 'no excuse': Chechen leader
The Russian Defense Ministry said Wagner's military hardware will be handed over to Russia's Armed Forces operating in the Ukraine war.
"Preparations are underway for the transfer of PMC Wagner's heavy military equipment to the active units of the Russian armed forces," the Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
In a related context, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko issued orders to raise "full combat readiness" of the country's military against the backdrop of the latest events in Russia.
“Your [security officials] priority, as well as [the priority of] all the people in uniform, is to take the necessary measures to prevent the escalation of the situation. Tensions are already to the limit,” Lukashenko said, as quoted by the state-run Sovetskaya Belorussiya newspaper.
Read more: Wagner head to move to Belarus, fighters not to be prosecuted: Kremlin
This comes after the head of the Wagner Group private military company (PMC), Yevgeny Prigozhin, accepted the proposal of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of Wagner fighters in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate the situation, the Belarusian presidential office announced on Saturday.
Later in the same day, the Kremlin confirmed that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus as part of the deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who offered to mediate, to put an end to the armed mutiny that Prigozhin led against Russia's military leadership. Furthermore, the criminal investigation against Prigozhin will be dropped.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to Lukashenko's offer since he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years and that Putin's word can be considered a guarantee for allowing Prigozhin to depart to Belarus.
"A criminal case [against Prigozhin] will be terminated and he will leave for Belarus. If you ask, what is the guarantee that Prigozhin could leave for Belarus, it is the word of the Russian president," Peskov told reporters.
Furthermore, according to the Spokesperson, fighters who did not partake in the mutiny will sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, while those who did participate won't be prosecuted in recognition of their service.
On June 24, prior to Lukashenko's proposal, Putin vowed that "as President of Russia and Commander-in-Chief, as a citizen of Russia, I will do everything to defend the country, to protect the constitutional order, the lives, security, and freedom of citizens."
