Mercenary chief Prigozhin back in Russia, Belarus's Lukashenko says

FILE PHOTO: Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko attends a news conference with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi (not pictured) in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2023. Iran's President Website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

MINSK (Reuters) -Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that the mutinous chief of Russia's Wagner group was still in Russia with thousands of fighters, but dismissed speculation that President Vladimir Putin would have Yevgeny Prigozhin killed.

Lukashenko helped broker a deal to end last month's mutiny, the gravest challenge to Putin in his 23 years in power, under which Prigozhin was supposed to stand down his mercenaries and move to Belarus in exchange for Putin dropping charges.