A convoy of Wagner's private army fighters and equipment is said to have entered Belarus from Russia
A convoy of Wagner private army fighters and equipment has been seen entering Belarus from Russia, The Guardian reports. According to the Belarusian Defence Ministry press service, the mercenaries and Minsk's armed forces are planning to conduct joint military exercises.
The convoy headed towards the village of Tsel, 90 kilometres south-east of Minsk, where the Belarusian authorities have recently set up a tent camp capable of housing up to 15,000 people. The military base is about 230 kilometres from the border with Ukraine.
Mercenaries from the Wagner group have begun training Belarusian soldiers, the defence ministry in Minsk announced, Reuters reports. The fate of the Wagner mercenary group has been shrouded in mystery since its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, led an uprising against Russian authorities in late June.
Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko claimed he helped end the uprising by agreeing with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin to host Wagner troops in Belarus.
Wagner troops helped the Russian army occupy Bahmut after nearly 10 months of intense fighting. The mercenary group lost 20,000 men in the battle, according to Yevgeny Prigozhin.
While some speculated that the Wagner mercenary group might try to invade Ukraine from Belarus, military experts said Russia would need more than 30,000 troops to occupy new Ukrainian territory.
Minsk leader Aleksandr Lukashenko said on 27 June that he would like Wagner troops to train Belarusian forces, but gave no indication how many of the mercenaries he would be willing to host on the country's territory.
The commander of the Joint Military Forces, Sergei Naev, announced last week that the Ukrainian army and border guards had set up 30 anti-tank minefields on the border with Belarus.
