The Kremlin has refused to say whether Yevgeny Prigozhin is in St Petersburg, following a claim by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko that the Wagner chief is in the Russian city.
When asked by CNN if the Kremlin is aware of Prigozhin's whereabouts, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he was "not commenting on that right now.”
Prigozhin has not been seen in public since June 24.
Lukashenko told CNN during a press conference earlier on Thursday that the Wagner chief is in Russia, not Belarus as had been agreed following his short-lived mutiny last month.
Peskov also refused to comment on Prigozhin's whereabouts during a conference call with journalists later on Thursday.
Asked again if the Kremlin was aware of Prigozhin's current location, Peskov stated, "No, we do not track his movements. We have neither the ability nor the desire to do so."
Peskov did confirm upcoming talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko but did not disclose whether they would discuss Wagner or Prigozhin.
"At this point, I cannot say what the agenda of these talks will be, particularly since an exact date has not been determined yet,” Peskov said.
Peskov also confirmed that Prigozhin's supposed relocation to Belarus, as per the reported agreement to end the Wagner mutiny, was one of the conditions agreed upon by Putin and Lukashenko.
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