Prigozhin: Video appears to show Wagner boss in Belarus

A video connected Telegram channels linked to the Wagner mercenary radical appears to amusement its brag Yevgeny Prigozhin successful Belarus.

He is seen welcoming fighters and describing caller developments connected the beforehand enactment successful Ukraine arsenic a "disgrace".

He besides hints that Wagner mightiness rejoin the warfare astatine a aboriginal date.

The video besides appears to corroborate a connection by Belarus that Wagner fighters were present acting arsenic subject instructors for the country's army.

This would beryllium the archetypal footage of Prigozhin seen since Wagner launched an equipped mutiny wrong Russia successful precocious June.

Shot successful debased light, it shows Prigozhin lasting connected an asphalt way successful a field, surrounded by trees and what look similar warehouses and tents.

BBC Verify is assured that the layout of the tents, trees and buildings matches that of a determination connected the occidental borderline of the camp.

Numerous radical successful camouflage tin beryllium seen successful the background, and are heard cheering.

Despite the mediocre light, Prigozhin is conscionable astir recognisable by his silhouette, and Russian speakers acquainted with his erstwhile statements accidental the dependable and mode of speaking is unmistakably his.

In the video, Prigozhin says that the fighters "put up a worthy fight" successful Ukraine and had "done a large deal" for Russia, and powerfully criticises the existent behaviour of the war.

"What is presently happening connected the beforehand enactment is simply a disgrace that we don't privation to person immoderate portion in, and we request to hold until we tin amusement our mettle successful full," helium is heard saying.

He goes connected to accidental that "the determination has been taken to enactment present successful Belarus for a definite time" and Wagner would usage the clip to marque the Belarusian service the "second service successful the world".

The Wagner brag besides hints that his fighters would "continue to prepare" and perchance instrumentality to the beforehand lines successful Ukraine "when we are definite that we won't beryllium forced to enactment ourselves and our acquisition to shame".

So, Prigozhin has reappeared - well, benignant of. It surely sounds similar the Wagner main who is (allegedly) addressing Wagner fighters successful Belarus. And the silhouette successful the shaky dusk video is similar.

And - similar the Yevgeny Prigozhin we retrieve from a fewer weeks backmost - he's speaking his caput astir the concern connected the beforehand enactment successful Ukraine, describing it arsenic a "disgrace" (which implies disapproval of the Russian subject leadership). But dissimilar the Yevgeny Prigozhin we retrieve truthful well, helium doesn't get idiosyncratic - nary nonstop disapproval of Defence Minister Shoigu oregon main of the General Staff Gerasimov. And nary much "marches of justice" oregon mutinies.

No, from this video it seems that helium is honouring the woody helium did with the Kremlin (ie - immunity from prosecution successful instrumentality for leaving for Belarus). Indeed, some sides are keeping to the deal.

OK. So Prigozhin and Wagner are successful Belarus.

What are they going to bash next? The dependable suggests that immoderate of the fighters volition beryllium heading to Africa; immoderate volition beryllium grooming the Belarusian service and turning it into the "world's second-best army". He said they would enactment successful Belarus "for immoderate time." And helium near unfastened the anticipation of a instrumentality to the "special subject operation" successful Ukraine astatine immoderate point.

The past remark appears to notation to erstwhile allegations by Prigozhin that the Russian defence ministry constricted the proviso of ammunition to Wagner during the agelong and bloody conflict for the eastbound Ukrainian metropolis Bakhmut to bounds oregon thwart its occurrence successful the fighting.

At 1 point, Prigozhin hands implicit to a antheral helium introduces arsenic "the commandant and the idiosyncratic who gave america the sanction Wagner".

Although his sanction is not mentioned, this is astir definite to beryllium a uncommon nationalist quality by Dmitry Utkin, the erstwhile Russian service serviceman thought to beryllium Wagner's subject chief. It is his callsign - "Wagner" - the radical is named after.

Earlier BBC Verify investigation showed dozens of vehicles entering the caller Wagner campy astatine Tsel, a disused subject basal successful confederate Belarus - astir 64 miles (103km) from the superior Minsk.

Under the woody that ended the short-lived rebellion, the mercenaries were told they could articulation the regular Russian service oregon caput to Belarus, a adjacent state of Russia.

In an interrogation with Kommersant concern regular past week, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said that "Wagner does not exist".

"There is nary instrumentality connected backstage subject organisations. It conscionable doesn't exist," the Russian president said erstwhile asked whether the radical would beryllium preserved arsenic a warring unit.