Thousands of Wagner troops in Belarus as Lukashenko ‘struggles’ to keep them from Poland

Wagner Group soldiers leaving Rostov in Russia in June Thousands of Russia-linked Wagner Group mercenaries have arrived in Belarus over the past month, a military monitoring group said. A military camp near the village of Tsel, in the Asipovichy district, has seen the arrival of between 3,450 and 3,650 mercenary soldiers since the coup attempted by Wagner soldiers in late June, activist group Belaruski Hajun has claimed. Satellite images show that some 700 vehicles and construction equipment have also been brought to the camp in Wagner convoys, the organisation said. This comes as it emerged that the group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, registered a “real estate management company” in Belarus last week under the name Concord Management and Consulting. Independent Belarusian news outlet, reform.by, showed that the registered address for the company indicated by the warlord was located in the same village as the camp. Lukashenko met Putin in Russia Tsel is located some 230km north the Ukrainian border, and is believed to have been recently visited by Mr Prigozhin. Last week, a video seemingly showing the group leader speaking to members of his troops emerged – in what would be the first footage of the man since he left the Russian city of Rostov on June 24, as the attempted coup fizzled out. In the clip, Mr Prigozhin praised his troops for their work in Ukraine and urged them to train Belarusian soldiers before Wagner’s next venture in the African continent, where it has operated for years. The heavy presence of Wagner so close to the Ukrainian border aims at putting psychological pressure and intimidation on the Ukrainian population, Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, commander of the joint forces of the Ukrainian Army, said. The paramilitary group, which was essential in the months-long battle for Bakhmut, was welcomed to Belarus by the country’s president Alexander Lukashenko, who brokered the deal that brought to a quick end Mr Prigozhin coup attempted against the Russian defence leadership between June 23 and 24. During a recent meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Mr Lukashenko said he was struggling to restrain Wagner fighters from attacking Poland. Lukashenko said: “The Wagnerites are beginning to stretch us. I ask, ‘Why do you need to go to the West?’ [They say,] ‘We want to go on an excursion to Warsaw, to Rzeszow’.” SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Trending