The leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, said that he " cannot imagine " that Vladimir Putin was involved in the downing of the plane in which Yevgeny Prigozhin is said to have been .
He said that "it would be very harsh and unprofessional" for the Russian president to have ordered Prigozhin's murder, reports the Belarusian news agency Belta.
" I know Putin, he is doing his own calculations, very calm, even late, " said Mr. Lukashenko. " I can't imagine that Putin did this, that Putin is guilty ."
Lukashenko also said he warned mercenary bosses Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, who is believed to have given the Wagner Group its name, to be alert to possible threats to their lives.
The Belarusian president said he told Prigozhin as he led an insurgent march toward Moscow two months ago that he would "die."
Prigozhin is said to have replied: " To hell, I'm going to die ".
On whether Wagner's fighters would remain in Belarus as part of the brokered deal to end the short-lived insurgency, Lukashenko said: " As long as we need this unit, they will live and work with we ".