Putin ally 'flees Belarus' as Wagner group issues chilling message

24 June 2023 , 16:32

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Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, is believed to have fled the country (Image: SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

One of Vladimir Putin's closest allies, and the Belarus President, Alexander Lukashenko has allegedly fled the country after rumours of an imminent coup.

The 68-year-old's plane was seen on a tracker over Turkey hours after Wagner Group mercenaries stormed a Russian city and threatened Moscow.

This comes after the group's Telegram channel issued a chilling message, stating: "We're starting."

Dictator Lukashenko has ruled the country since 1994 and his aircraft was spotted flying out of Minsk and over Russia, the Express reports.

News outlet Visegrád 24 tweeted a picture of the flight tracker, adding: "A plane belonging to the Lukashenko family took off from Belarus a few hours ago and is now over Turkey.

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"It’s time to make the Russian Army leave Belarus and for Belarus to join the family of democratic European states."

A flight tracker shows what is believed to be Lukashenko's aircraft over Turkey

An earlier tweet claimed the "Russian civil war had started" after the leader of the Wagner Group of mercenaries Yevgeny Prigozhin accused Putin's forces of firing on his own men.

In a series of messages on his Telegram channel, Prigozhin said: "Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance.

"There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country."

Lukashenko is a close ally of Vladimir Putin (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Another message on Wagner's Telegram channel simply said: "We're starting."

The mercenary went on to say his forces have crossed into Russia and taken a city while on their way to Moscow.

He added that his men have "liberated" the city of Rostov and claimed all military sites and demanded Russian military leaders, who he accuses of killing his forces, meet with him.

The Belarus President is believed to have fled after a group of mercenaries entered Russia (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

In a video taken in Rostov he said: "We want [Gerasimov] and Shoigu. Until they're here, we'll stay, block off Rostov, and head to Moscow."

Russian president Vladimir Putin said he had been informed of the claims and warned "necessary measures are being taken."The FSB said it had begun a criminal investigation into the Wagner mercenaries and demanded Prigozhin's arrest.

Sean McPolin