Prigozhin may be assassinated in Belarus - expert

The opinion was expressed by Jill Dougherty, former chief of CNN's Moscow bureau, a researcher of the ex-Soviet space and Russia expert, Ukrinform reports citing CNN.

“Putin doesn’t forgive traitors. Even if Putin says, ‘Prigozhin, you go to Belarus,’ he is still a traitor and I think Putin will never forgive that,” said Dougherty

“It’s possible we could see Prigozhin “get killed in Belarus,” she added – but it’s a tough dilemma for Moscow because as long as Prigozhin “has some type of support, he is a threat, regardless of where he is.”

Many things remain unclear, for example, what will happen next with Prigozhin, how his role in Wagner Group and the latter’s participation in the Russian war against Ukraine in general will change.

The Kremlin spokesman said on Saturday that he "cannot answer" what position Prigozhin will take in Belarus. Prigozhin himself has provided little detail about his agreement to halt the advance on Moscow.

Wagner Group is an "independent fighting company" with different conditions than the Russian military, retired U.S. Army Major Mike Lyons said on Saturday. For example, Wagner fighters are better fed than regular soldiers – meaning a full assimilation of Wagner fighters into the Russian army would be difficult.

“Those people are loyal to the man, Prigozhin, not to the country, not to the mission. I think we’ve got a lot more questions that are not answered right now,” he added.

As reported, on June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the "Wagner" PMC, went for a démarche against the Russian military leadership, in particular against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Prigozhin’s private army took control of Rostov-on-Don and part of Voronezh region on June 24, after which the Wagner leader ordered his mercenaries to advance on Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the insurrection attempt, calling it a blow to the country’s back and vowing “harsh punishment” for those involved.

Later the same day, Alexander Lukashenko, in coordination with Putin, held talks with Prigozhin. Following these negotiations, Lukashenko’s office reported a de-escalation deal involving Prigozhin being exiled to Belarus and no legal action being taken against Wagner forces.

The military convoy heading for Moscow made a U-turn just over 100 miles away from the Russian capital. The mercenaries also withdrew from the captured Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don.