Wagner Chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin and Putin deal finalised says Lukashenko

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s remarks on Thursday about Yevgeniy Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group mercenary organization, suggest that a deal between Moscow and Wagner has been reached.

Though Lukashenko did not specify the details of the agreement, it appears that Prigozhin has returned to Russia, and that Belarus has offered the Wagner Group the use of former Soviet military camps in its territory.

This offer is likely to cause concern to neighboring NATO countries, especially as Stoltenberg has said that “any further delay in Sweden’s membership would be welcomed by the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] and President Putin.”

At the same time, the conflict in Ukraine raged on Thursday, with six people killed and 34 injured in a Russian cruise missile attack on Lviv, and fierce fighting continuing in the Russian-held town of Bakhmut.

In response, the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine called the strike on Lviv a “vicious Russian missile attack,” adding that the U.S. “will continue to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine has urged President Biden to invite the country into NATO’s fold “now” in order to invigorate its forces. Though both sides continue to trade allegations — Ukraine accusing Russia of planting “objects resembling explosives” on the roof of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and Russia accusing Ukraine of planning to attack the plant with a warhead stuffed with nuclear waste — the International Atomic Energy Agency did not discover mines or explosives during recent inspections.

Finally, the Kremlin has tightened its control over local media, with a former election spokesman for Putin appointed to lead the country’s state news agency, Tass. This move suggests that Moscow is looking to further solidify its hold over public discourse in Russia.