Ukrainian authorities admitted on Friday that the number of mercenaries from the Wagner group deployed in Belarus has gradually declined, in a move that began before the alleged death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian Border Service, which has been monitoring the presence of the Wagner group in Belarus since Prigozhin’s uprising in June, said the situation on the border with the neighboring country was stable.
“We have not identified any unusual actions that may have taken place across the border,” border service spokesman Andri Demechenko told Ukrainian television.
Demechenko said the downsizing of the Wagner group in Belarus happened “even before the events of August 23,” referring to the date of Prigozhin’s presumed death.
“Not significantly, but gradually the number of Wagner’s mercenaries in Belarus has decreased. Now it is clear that their numbers have decreased since the 23rd,” he said.
The spokesman added that most of the mercenaries went “on vacation” to Russia and did not return, according to Spanish agencies EFE and Europa Press.
About 4,000 Wagner Group mercenaries were transferred to Belarus following the brief uprising two months ago under an agreement between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian authorities.
The presence of personnel from the Russian paramilitary group in Belarus led to warnings in Poland announcing reinforcement of security at the borders with the neighboring country, for fear of provocation.
In addition to Russia and Ukraine, Belarus shares borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, three NATO member states and the European Union (EU).
Russian authorities said Prigozhin and other leaders of the Wagner group were on the passenger list of a private jet that crashed northwest of Moscow on Wednesday, killing all 10 people on board.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message of condolence to Prigozhin’s family on Thursday, saying the former ally was “a talented man who made some mistakes”.
Founded in 2014 and present in African countries and the Middle East, the Wagner Group stood out in Russia’s war against Ukraine, starring in some of the bloodiest battles since the February 24, 2022 invasion.
Prigozhin, 62, a former chef and Putin ally, rebelled against Defense Minister Serguei Shoigu and military leaders in late June, accusing him of not supplying him with enough weapons and employing Wagner group personnel. traps.
During the brief uprising, Prigozhin held Russian military command in the southwestern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and pushed a mercenary column toward Moscow.
The column turned back when it was 200 kilometers from the Russian capital, following an agreement allegedly brokered by Belarus.
On the way, the mercenaries got involved in clashes with the security forces, shooting down half a dozen helicopters, which resulted in the death of about two dozen elements of the Moscow Armed Forces.
Source: DN
