- By Jaroslav Lukiv
- BBC News
Jul 15, 2023 at 1:58pm BST
Updated 38 minutes ago
Image Source: VoenTV/Belarusian Ministry of Defense via Portal
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Images have allegedly surfaced showing Wagner fighters training Belarusian soldiers at a base southeast of Minsk
The Ukrainian border guards have confirmed that Wagner mercenaries from neighboring Russia have now arrived in Belarus.
The DPSU says it is checking how many “fighters” there are in Belarus, which also borders Ukraine, and their exact locations and targets.
According to an unconfirmed report, a convoy of around 60 Wagner vehicles rolled across the border into Belarus early on Saturday.
In June, Wagner’s mutiny challenged President Vladimir Putin’s authority.
A deal ended the 24-hour uprising, during which troops captured a city and marched on Moscow – ending the uprising just 200 km (124 miles) from the capital.
As part of the agreement, the Wagner fighters were told they could either join the regular Russian army or go to Belarus, a close ally of Russia. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was also offered a move to Belarus, but his current whereabouts are unknown.
Wagner is a Russian private military company made up of mercenaries, many recruited from Russian prisons. They have fought some of the bloodiest battles since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February.
DPSU spokesman Andriy Demchenko confirmed Wagner’s presence in Belarus in a brief statement on Saturday.
He said Ukrainian border guards would “continue to monitor” the situation on the country’s northern border. He did not give any further details.
Earlier in the day, a Telegram channel linked to a well-known Belarusian opposition blogger reported that a large Wagner convoy entered Belarus from Russia.
Broadcaster Belarusski Hajun said the vehicles – including pickups, trucks and buses – were escorted by Belarusian traffic police as they drove to the town of Osipovichy, some 85 km (53 miles) southeast of the capital Minsk.
The Belarusian authorities, who consider “Belaruski Hayun” to be an extremist channel, have not commented on the matter.
On Friday, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said Wagner troops are now acting as military trainers for the country’s Territorial Defense Forces. It said the fighters were training Belarusian forces “in a number of military disciplines” near Osipovichy.
Earlier this week, President Putin announced that Prigozhin had turned down an offer by his fighters to join the Russian army as a regular unit.
He told the Russian newspaper Kommersant that many group commanders at June 29 talks in Moscow supported the plan to be led by a senior Wagner leader.
But he said Prigozhin’s answer was “the boys.” [Wagner troops] do not agree with this decision.”
Mr Putin also said that Wagner “doesn’t exist” under Russian law because mercenary groups are not officially recognised. But this “difficult issue” must be discussed in Parliament, the President added.
The Kremlin apparently wants to distinguish between the Wagner boss and regular Wagner fighters and drive a wedge between them, says BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.
He adds that this would explain the Russian state media’s attempts to discredit Prigozhin.
Since the June 23 mutiny, there have been conflicting and unconfirmed reports on Prigozhin’s whereabouts.
A former Putin supporter, he was once dubbed “Putin’s chef” because of his catering deals with the Kremlin. But the public dispute between Prigozhin and the Russian Defense Ministry over the conduct of the war has brought him into major conflicts with the Russian government.
US President Joe Biden said Thursday that Prigozhin should watch out for poisoning after the mutiny.
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Watch: The day the Wagner boss went rogue… in 96 seconds