The number of Wagner mercenaries relocating to Belarus rose significantly over the past week as the country’s president established a “people’s militia” and approved a military training deal with Russia.
(Bloomberg) — The number of Wagner mercenaries relocating to Belarus rose significantly over the past week as the country’s president established a “people’s militia” and approved a military training deal with Russia.
As many as 2,500 members of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private military force may already be based in Belarus, according to Belarusian Hajun, an international group of monitors tracking military movements in the country.
Two Wagner convoys with as many as 185 vehicles entered Belarus on Tuesday alone, according to the group. Belarusian Hajun uses open-source data, including satellite imagery, as well as witness accounts for its reports. The group published several videos and photos showing long columns of vehicles with Wagner symbols on Belarusian highways.
President Alexander Lukashenko helped Prigozhin broker a deal with Vladimir Putin after the mercenary leader led an aborted mutiny last month. The deal allowed Wagner to relocate to Belarus, where Lukashenko plans plans to employ the mercenaries to train his military.
The Belarusian leader ratified an agreement on joint combat training centers with Russia on Monday and established a so-called people’s militia, units of volunteers who would help enforce martial law and protect the country from “encroachments.”
Read More About Wagner in Belarus: Russian Wagner Mercenaries Emerge in Belarus as Troop Trainers
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