Belarus expresses support for Russia amid Wagner uprising

Belarus expressed support for Russia amid the armed uprising from the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group on Saturday. 

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has led his fighters from Ukraine into Russian territory following a breakdown in the relationship between his group and the Russian military. Prigozhin said the group intends to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom he blames for the way the war in Ukraine is being carried out, from power. 

Prigozhin has said Wagner has reached the town of Rostov-on-Don, where the military headquarters for Russia’s southern region is located. The headquarters oversees the Russian war effort against Ukraine. 

The Security Council of Belarus said in a statement that Belarus is remaining an ally of Russia as the Wagner Group appears to be making its way toward Moscow. 

“Belarusians and Russians are fraternal peoples, our states are bound by a political union. And we cannot remain aloof from the events that are taking place in the south of Russia,” the statement reads. 

The council said “any provocation” or internal conflict will be a “gift” to the West, even if Western countries are not responsible for it starting. It said the conflict could cause disaster, as has happened before in Russian history. 

The council said the rebellion is not worth the consequences and called for a “voice of reason” to settle the conflict. 

“In this difficult time, everyone who is today involved in an unacceptable confrontation within a military brotherhood united for their own purposes is needed where the future of the Slavic world, the fate of millions of our people is being decided. The Belarusian people have always been and will be with Russia,” the council said. 

Meanwhile, Ramzan Kadyrov, who leads the Chechen Republic in southern Russia, said his paramilitary forces were prepared to help stop the rebellion using intense methods if needed. He said Chechen troops are moving into “zones of tension” and would defend Russian troops. 

Kadyrov had joined in Prigozhin’s criticisms of top Russian military leaders over how the war in Ukraine was being conducted, but he has distanced himself from Prigozhin’s sharp attacks on the Russian Defense Ministry recently. 

The Kremlin also reported in a Telegram post that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Russian President Vladimir Putin to express “full support” for the steps Moscow has taken in response to the rebellion. 

Putin had declared his support for Erdogan’s government during a failed 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. 

Turkey has been in a critical position throughout the war between Russia and Ukraine as a member of NATO. While most of the alliance’s members are supporting Ukraine, Turkey has maintained its ties to Russia and refrained from imposing sanctions on the country.