Lukashenko allegedly saving Russia from the coup doesn't bode well for Putin - international policy expert Zhovtenko

He expressed his opinion on Espreso TV. 

“Lukashenko's talks with Prigozhin are not about politics. We can talk about some personal issues, and it is quite possible that Lukashenko could have asked Putin not to kill Prigozhin right away. And at this level, I think they have mutual influence,” Zhovtenko explained.

The expert believes that after Prigozhin's rebellion, Putin should prepare for a new reality in Russia.

“Lukashenko has been and remains a non-subject. This does not mean that he cannot compensate himself for his political incapacity on a personal level. After all, the situation now looks like Lukashenko saved Russia from a coup d'etat. And this situation does not look good for Putin. Obviously, this is a new reality for Putin that he will have to deal with in the future,” he added.

• On Friday, June 23, Russian troops allegedly launched a missile attack on the Wagner PMC's base. Yevgeny Prigozhin said that 25,000 mercenaries were coming to deal with Sergei Shoigu. Read more about the events here.

• On the evening of Saturday, June 24, 2023, one of the Telegram channel, which is close to the administration of the self-proclaimed president of the Republic of Belarus, published a text from the press service of Alexander Lukashenko stating that Prigozhin had agreed to stop the convoys from moving to Moscow.