The Russian security service FSB has been tasked with assassinating Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
This is claimed by the head of Ukrainian intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov.
– Will they dare to execute that order?, he says “The War Zone”.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is currently in Belarus, something the country’s dictator Lukashenko confirmed earlier this week.
– Yes, he is in Belarus today, Lukashenko said in a statement to the state news agency Belta.
Prigozhin is said to have received security guarantees in Belarus, and on Tuesday the Russian security service FSB announced that the investigation into a suspected armed rebellion was closed.
The announcement comes after the weekend’s chaos in Russia, where Prigozhin led an armed march through the country towards Moscow. The column of military vehicles disbanded after an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who gave Prigozhin free leave to Belarus.
“Attempted murder will take time”
Now there are new reports that Prigozhin’s life is in danger – and that the Russian security service FSB has been tasked with murdering him.
The online publication The War Zone has interviewed Kyrylo Budanov, who is the head of the Ukrainian intelligence service GUR.
– In any case, any such potential assassination attempts will not be quick. It will take some time for them to have the right approach and to reach the stage where they are ready to add a huge operation, says Budanov and continues:
– But once again I want to emphasize that it is a big open question. Would they succeed in fulfilling it? Will they dare to execute that order?
Wagner is no longer allowed to fight in Russia
According to TV4 Nyhetern’s foreign affairs commentator Elisabet Frerot, it is unclear whether the Wagner leader can feel safe in Belarus, even though the country has, among other things, built military bases for the soldiers.
– He probably can’t be really sure, because Belarus is a kind of vassal state to Russia. They have handed over Wagner soldiers to Russia before. Should Putin change his mind and go after Prigozhin, Lukashenko will of course not interfere.
According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Prigozhin has been informed that the Wagner group soldiers no longer have any role to play in the war against Ukraine. Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of the Russian parliament’s defense committee, is said to have terminated the Wagner group’s participation and they will no longer receive funding and equipment.