Russian coup leader Prigozhin was warned he would be ‘crushed like a bug’ if troops reached Moscow

Wagner Group commander Yevgeny Prigozhin was warned his troops would be “crushed like a bug” if they reached Moscow during their coup attempt, it was revealed Tuesday.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he told the mercenary leader that his men would be utterly destroyed, while describing how he negotiated a deal for Wagner to halt the mutinous march in exchange for immunity, CNN reported.

Lukashenko detailed his frenzied back-and-forth phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prigozhin on Saturday to try to halt the coup attempt, during which the Wagner chief mainly swore.

He said Prigozhin had been adamant about advancing to Moscow as a show of protest for the alleged wrongdoings against Wagner, but the mercenary leader quickly changed his tune once the negotiator informed him that he would face devastating results.

“For a long time, I was trying to convince him. And in the end, I said, ‘You know, you can do whatever you want. But don’t be offended by me. Our brigade is ready for transfer to Moscow,’ ” Lukashenko, a longtime Putin ally, told state media.

Lukashenko told Prigozhin that even if he sees the rebellion as a protest, the consequences of a Russian bloodbath could spell disaster for not only Moscow, but for neighboring nations.

“This situation does not only concern Russia. It’s not just because this is our Fatherland and because, God forbid, this turmoil would spread all over Russia, and the prerequisites for this were colossal, we were next,” he added.

Touting his successful negotiation Tuesday as his nation received Prigozhin and offered Wagner troops an abandoned military base in Belarus, Lukashenko claimed he was the key figure in securing peace over the weekend.

Lukashenko asserted that he spoke with Putin over the phone at 10 a.m. local time Saturday after Wagner forces set up a base in the Russian city of Rostov to continue their march to Moscow.

“The most dangerous thing, as I understand it, is not what the situation was, but how it could develop and its consequences. I also realized there was a harsh decision taken — to destroy,” Lukashenko recalled, suggesting that Putin was more than ready to order an attack against Wagner.

“I suggested Putin not to hurry. Let’s talk with Prigozhin, with his commanders,” he added.

Lukashenko claimed that Prigozhin did not respond to calls from Putin, so they set up three communication channels with Rostov to negotiate with Wagner.

Within an hour of his initial call with Putin, Lukashenko said, he was able to connect with Prigozhin, who picked up immediately and sounded euphoric at the chance to negotiate.

Despite Prigozhin being happy to talk, Lukashenko said, the discussions were initially heated, with the first 30 minutes spent by the Wagner chief hurling a plethora of oaths over the phone.

After things calmed down, Lukashenko said, he was able to negotiate an end to the coup attempt by offering Prigozhin and his troops immunity, with the chief also agreeing to exile in Belarus.

Lukashenko confirmed that Prigozhin landed in Belarus on Tuesday, with the president offering an abandoned military base to the Wagner troops, the Guardian reports.

He added that his country will provide additional camps for the mercenaries if they require it.

Prigozhin said Monday that his troops remain loyal to him despite admitting that about 1% to 2% of them have already accepted the Kremlin’s offer to join the Ministry of Defense.

Putin reiterated the offer later that day, telling the soldiers that they can either choose to join the Russian government or throw down their arms and go home.