MINSK — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko declared it was "painful to watch" Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin's attempted insurrection over the weekend, in his first address since the most serious leadership challenge to ally Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I won’t hide it, it was painful to watch the events that took place in the south of Russia," he said during an epaulet-giving ceremony in Minsk.

"Not only for me. Many of our citizens took them close to heart. Because there is only one fatherland," he added, according to the Belarusian state news agency, BelTA. The comments were not televised nor have yet appeared in video clips.

Lukashenko did not make any reference to Prigozhin by name or say anything about his whereabouts. The Wagner head has not been seen in public since he called off his uprising on Saturday.

The Belarus president also said he had made military preparations during the events of the weekend. “I gave all orders to bring the army to full combat readiness,” he said.

Lukashenko, often referred to as "Europe's last dictator" purportedly had a hand in quelling the threat of mutiny on Saturday.

Prigozhin abruptly halted Wagner's advance, claiming his fighters had reached within 200 kilometers of Moscow but were retreating to avoid Russian bloodshed.

Lukashenko apparently made a deal with Prigozhin that would see the Wagner chief leave for Belarus; a criminal case against the mercenary boss would be dropped; and Wagner fighters would be folded into formal military structures by signing contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The decision followed an unprecedented intervention by Lukashenko himself, according to the Belarusian presidential press service. However, Russian and Belarusian officials have remained tightlipped on the details of the supposed deal. — CNN