- So Wagner’s fighters will stay in Belarus
- A camp to house fighters of the Wagner group
- Can take advantage of Wagner Group’s experience – Yevgeny
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, now lives in Belarus after rebelling against Russia. Many kinds of speculations are also being made about Yevgeny. Meanwhile, The Associated Press obtained satellite images of newly constructed military-style camps in Belarus. Statements from Belarusian guerrilla groups and officials suggest it may have been used to house fighters from the Wagner group.
Satellite images have surfaced
Photos provided by Planet Labs plc show dozens of tents erected over the past two weeks at an old military base outside the town of Osipovichi. The place is located 230 kilometers (142 mi) north of the Ukrainian border. A satellite image taken on June 15 does not show any white and green tents, but pictures taken after June 30 clearly show white and green structures standing here.
The movement in this base can be seen in the pictures. In fact, after an agreement with Putin, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries were spared from facing legal action. The agreement, brokered by Belarusian President Lukashenko, stipulated that Prigozhin would be granted asylum in Belarus while soldiers from the Wagner group would be given the opportunity to join the Russian army.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said his country, a close and dependent ally of Moscow, could use Wagner’s experience and expertise. He announced that he could help Wagner set up a camp for the soldiers. That is, he also agreed to keep these mercenaries in his country.
So Wagner’s fighters will stay in Belarus
Alexander Azarro, the leader of the anti-Lukashenko BYPOL guerrilla group, spoke to The Associated Press by phone Thursday and said a site for Wagner group troops was being built near Osipovichi. A spokesman for Ukraine’s border forces told Ukrainian media on Saturday that 8,000 fighters from Wagner’s private military force could be deployed to Belarus. He said Ukraine would strengthen its 1,084-kilometer (674-mile) border with Belarus in response.
Can take advantage of Wagner Group’s experience – Yevgeny
Kashchenko previously allowed the Kremlin (Russia) to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons to Ukraine. It allowed Russia to deploy joint military bases and training as well as some strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus. Ukrainian spokesman Demchenko said that as of this week, about 2,000 soldiers from regular Russian military units are stationed in Belarus.
At a ceremony on Friday evening to mark Belarusian Independence Day, Lukashenko said the Belarusian armed forces could benefit from the training of members of Wagner. He stressed that mercenaries are “not a threat” to Belarusians. He said that Belarus will not be directly involved in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
