The mercenaries of the Wagner group who were supposed to move to Belarus after the failure of the June 24 uprising have yet to appear at the base made available by the Belarusian authorities, the defense ministry in Minsk said on Friday.
“No, the operational groups have not arrived yet, they have not yet made a decision, they have not analyzed anything yet. When the Wagner Group makes the final decision whether to settle in Belarus or not, it will analyze it”, he told the Russian bureau. TASS, adviser to the Minister of Defense of Belarus, Major General Leonid Kasinski.
The military representative referred to a tent camp near the town of Osipovichi, in the Mogilev region of Belarus, defined as “a summer camp, built in cooperation with the local authorities”.
“This camp was established to prepare both the army and representatives of the civil administration in the context of creating a territorial defense system,” the Belarusian army explained.
According to Kasinski, this camp has the capacity to house about 5,000 soldiers and its location also allows for the placement of combat equipment.”
“It all depends on the amount of this equipment. It is an old military citadel. The infrastructure has been preserved, including warehouses. An artillery brigade used to be located here,” he clarifies.
Despite the failure of the Wagner Group mutiny, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko agreed with mercenary leader Yevgueni Prigozhin that the army should move to Belarus.
Lukashenko said on Thursday that the final decision has not yet been made and that “it is up to Russia”.
“We do not build camps. We offer several old military camps that were used in wartime,” said the statesman. “But the Wagner Group has a different view on its implementation. Of course I won’t say which one,” he added.
Among the offers from Minsk, Lukashenko mentioned the Osipovichi camp.
In any case, he stressed that if the mercenaries are eventually transferred to Belarus, the framework in which they will operate in the country will be determined by law or presidential decree.
The Belarusian president stressed that the Wagner group is the “most experienced combat unit” and that “it can serve the defense of Belarus if the country is attacked”, but added that no one will be attacked from Belarusian territory, including Ukraine.
The Kremlin said Thursday it is not monitoring the movements of the leader of the Wagner group, who reportedly went into exile in Belarus after the June 24 failed riots, but who Minsk says is currently in Russia.
“No. We’re not going through the motions [de Prigozhin]. We have neither the time nor the desire to do that,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at his usual morning press conference.
Source: DN
