President of Belarus Press Service/Handout via Reuters
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko wants the world to know he’s a hero (but a modest one!) for saving Russia’s rogue mercenary boss from certain death over the weekend. In comments to reporters Tuesday, Lukashenko recalled Russia’s Vladimir Putin lamenting that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin “won’t pick up the phone” while thousands of his mercenaries unleashed an uprising on Russian territory, Belta reported. According to Lukashenko, Putin was prepared to have Prigozhin killed until Lukashenko “urged Putin not to rush.” He said he then got hold of the mercenary boss via officials in Rostov, where Prigozhin had already claimed to have taken over government sites. “For the first 30 minutes we spoke exclusively in curse words,” Lukashenko said. After a lengthy conversation, he claimed, Prigozhin finally gave in after Lukashenko warned him he’d be “squished like a bug” with help from Belarusian troops. “By no means should you make a hero out of me… nor out of Putin or Prigozhin,” he said, although that was probably the furthest thing from everyone’s minds.
