WAGNER warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin has not been seen for weeks – and the mystery over his whereabouts has deepened once again.
Prigozhin appears to have gone to ground after his botched rebellion which saw his mercenaries march on Moscow some two weeks ago.
But his location since the uprising remains unclear – with Russian security forces yesterday releasing pictures of his ransacked mansion in St Petersburg.
The Kremlin has refused to comment on Prigozhin's location or movements since he was forced into "exile" in Belarus.
He was widely understood to have been hunkered down in the nation which is considered a puppet state for Putin.
But now, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that Prigozhin was in St Petersburg or Moscow.
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Lukashenko is claimed to be the man who brokered that deal that saw Priogzhin and his forces move into "exile" after the rebellion.
"He is not on the territory of Belarus," Lukashenko told a news conference in Minsk.
Lukashenko also said the question of Wagner units relocating to Belarus had not been resolved and would depend on decisions by Russia and by Wagner.
"Whether they will be in Belarus or not, in what quantity, we will figure it out in the near future," he said.
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He backtracked on his former statements claiming he was in Belarus – further confusing the situation around the warlord.
A business jet linked to Prigozhin left St Petersburg for Moscow on Wednesday and was heading for southern Russia on Thursday, according to flight tracking data.
But it was not clear if the mercenary chief was on board.
Prigozhin allegedly left after retrieving his things from St Petersburg last week, though these claims haven't been verified.
Lukashenko said he had agreed to meet Putin in the near future and would discuss the Prigozhin situation with him.
Prigozhin is "absolutely free" and Putin will not "wipe him out", Lukashenko added.
Lukashenko said an offer for Wagner to station some of its fighters in Belarus – a prospect that has alarmed neighbouring NATO countries – still stands.
And he added he did not see a Wagner presence in Belarus as a risk and did not believe Wagner would ever take up arms against him
He said the Belarusian army could benefit from Wagner's expertise.
Prigozhin's swanky mansion was raided by Russian security forces as extraordinary pictures were released showing his gold bars, guns, and even a framed photo of severed heads.
In one photo, a giant sledgehammer can be seen on display with the phrase: "For use in important negotiations" – a chilling reminder of the brutal torture inflicted on Wagner traitors with sledgehammers.
Another photo shows a closet full of various coloured wigs and beards, apparently used to allow the war lord to travel without being detected.
It is claimed billionaire Prigozhin had used the disguises in Africa and the Middle East as he furthered Putin’s interests and deployed Wagner forces.
Meanwhile, Wagner troops remain in limbo in Belarus, living in tents in a field.
Belarus has offered Wagner the use of Belarusian military camps but the Wagner has reportedly not made a final decision.
The Belarusian leader said he doesn't think Wagners presence in Belarus could lead to the destabilisation of his country.
During their short revolt, Wagner quickly swept over the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and captured military headquarters there before marching on the Russian capital.
Prigozhin described it as a march of justice to oust the Russian defence minister and the General Staff chief.
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Prigozhin claimed his troops had come within about 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) of Moscow when he ordered them to stop the advance under the deal brokered by Lukashenko.
The abortive rebellion represented the biggest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power and exposed the Kremlin's weakness, eroding Putin's authority.
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