Russian rebel warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin has set up a new base for 8,000 men of his Wagner private army in Belarus, new satellite images show.
The Wagner boss has been exiled to Belarus since his mercenary group threatened mutiny in an attempted coup to Moscow – only to withdraw at the eleventh hour, saving Vladimir Putin’s blush.
The move to Belarus was part of the deal the Kremlin struck with Prigozhin to end last weekend’s uprising, which posed the biggest threat to Putin’s authority since he took office more than 20 years ago and prompted fears from the Russian despot to foment a civil war.
Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were given refuge in Belarus by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. He said his country could use their experience and expertise and offered the paramilitary group an “abandoned military unit” to set up camp.
Just days after they arrived, images from Planet Labs PLC show dozens of tents have been pitched over the past two weeks at the former military base outside of Osipovichi, a Belarusian town 142 miles north of the Ukrainian border.
Russian rebel warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin (pictured) has built a new base in Belarus for 8,000 men of his Wagner private army, new satellite images show
In the last two weeks, a new base for Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagnerian private army has been established. On June 15, no traces of the rows of white and green structures clearly visible today were visible
Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District June 24, 2023 during the group’s withdrawal from the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia. He has now arrived in Belarus
Satellite images from June 15 and 30 are in stark contrast to each other. Two weeks ago there was no trace of the rows of white and green structures that are clearly visible today.
Aliaksandr Azarau, leader of the anti-Lukashenko ex-military guerrilla group BYPOL, said Thursday that construction of a base for Wagner mercenaries was underway near Osipovichi.
And a spokesman for Ukraine’s border guards told local media that up to 8,000 Wagner celebration fighters could be stationed in Belarus.
Speaking to Ukrainska Pravda newspaper, Andriy Demchenko said that given the threat of a possible Wagner invasion, Ukraine will strengthen its 674-mile border with Belarus.
Ukraine’s move follows a meeting of its top military commanders on Thursday. Subsequently, President Zelenskyy said on social media: “The decision rests with the Supreme Commander Valery Zaluzhnyi and the Northern Commander Serhiy Naev to implement a number of measures to strengthen this direction.”
Lukashenko had previously allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons to Ukraine.
He also welcomed the continued Russian armed presence in Belarus, including joint military camps and exercises, and the deployment of some of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons there.
Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were given refuge in Belarus by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured with Putin on June 9).
Ukraine will strengthen its 674-mile border with Belarus amid threats of a possible Wagner invasion
Lukashenko said he told Prigozhin he would be “crushed like a bug” if he tried to attack Moscow and warned that the Kremlin would never back down his call to overthrow Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff General Valery Gerasimov will comply .
Earlier this week it was alleged that Prigozhin was plotting to kidnap Russian military chiefs during a visit to the south.
But Russia’s FSB intelligence agency found out about the plan and Shoigu and Gerasimov changed their trip to avoid capture, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed officials.
Mr. Demchenko told Ukrainska Pravda on Saturday that around 2,000 soldiers from regular Russian army units were still stationed in Belarus as of this week.
At a gala evening Friday to mark Belarusian Independence Day, Lukashenko said the Belarusian armed forces could benefit from training from Wagner officials and assured that the mercenaries posed “no threat” to the Belarusians.
He also said he was “sure” that Belarus would not need to use the nuclear weapons stationed on its territory and would not directly intervene in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Lukashenko said, “The longer we live, the more we believe that (nuclear weapons) should be in a safe place with us in Belarus.” And I’m sure we’ll never have to use them as long as we have them, and the enemy will never set foot on our soil.”
Lukashenko said he was “sure” that Belarus would not need to use the nuclear weapons stationed on its territory and would not directly interfere in Moscow’s war against Ukraine
This contradicts previous statements by the dictator, in which he had insisted that he was not afraid of using nuclear weapons sent by Russia to Belarus.
Earlier this year, Putin announced plans to deploy short-range nuclear weapons to Moscow’s neighbor and ally, a move widely taken as a warning to the West, which is stepping up its military support for Ukraine.
The Russian President has stressed that Moscow will retain control over them, but Lukashenko’s previous statements contradicted this.
“God forbid I have to decide today to use these weapons, but we would not hesitate if faced with aggression,” Lukashenko, known for his stormy remarks, said last month, according to the state news agency BelTA.
Ever since Lukashenko welcomed Prigozhin and his men to Belarus, the Wagner boss, formerly called Putin’s boss, has boasted that he could cross Ukraine “in one day” and the border separating the countries just 125 miles away could conquer from Kiev.
Prior to his arrival, Prigozhin reportedly holed himself up in a windowless Minsk hotel room to avoid assassination after breaking up an armed insurgency against the Russian Defense Ministry.
To increase support, Vladimir Putin will increase military salaries by 10.5 percent
Beginning October 1, the Russian military will get a pay rise as Putin seeks to win his troops over to his side. (file image)
After last Saturday’s Wagner mutiny, which saw thousands of heavily armed troops take the city of Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, it appeared the group and its charismatic leader had been marginalized by the Kremlin.
However, it seems that there is more to their move to Belarus than getting them out of harm’s way – hence Ukraine’s decision to oppose the move.
Wagner also continues to recruit soldiers from cities across Russia for future deployments.
So it seems that for the group, despite the apparent feud between Prigozhin and Putin – and threats from the Kremlin to disband Wagner – “business is going on as usual”.
Amid the aftermath of Wagner’s mutiny, the mercenary group’s logo was pictured today being removed from the windows of their former headquarters in St Petersburg – perhaps to erase any reminder of the threat to power Putin faced.
What follows is a desperate attempt by Putin to increase his support, beginning with the announcement that he will increase military salaries by 10.5 percent.
Today the Wagner logo was removed from the windows of the former headquarters in St. Petersburg
The PMC Wagner Center has several logos on the windows that were removed by staff today
Vladimir Putin attended a rare meet-and-greet where he was surrounded by a crowd while posing for selfies with young girls
Russian President Vladimir Putin takes a selfie with a devoted teenager from Dagestan
From October 1, soldiers’ salaries will increase, according to a government decree published yesterday on the official web portal.
Putin was also seen attempting to further solidify support through a rare gathering where the dictator was cheered on by a crowd while posing for selfies with young girls.
Footage from Wednesday night’s event — an appearance by the president during a trip to the city of Derbent in Russia’s Dagestan region — showed him blending into the night crowds like a Hollywood actor at a red carpet show.
He made another public appearance on Thursday, where he was bizarrely pictured doodling on an interactive whiteboard during a surprise tour of the North Caucasus region of Dagestan.