“You won’t find them here”: no trace of the Wagner Group in Belarus

The scent of felled trees still wafts over the newly built camp in the Belarusian town of Tsel, which could house the mercenaries of the wagner group after his abortive rebellion in Russia. However, there is no trace of them.

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“If you look for them, you won’t find them here“, says Leonid Kasinskyan official of the Belarusian Ministry of Defense when receiving the press at this facility in the region of Mogilev (center).

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenkomediated an agreement between the kremlin and this paramilitary group to end the rebellion at the end of June. The pact contemplated the reception of both the leader of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhinas well as its fighters in this neighboring former Soviet republic of Russia and located north of Ukraine and east of Poland.

But lukashenko assured on Thursday that Prigozhin He was not in his country, but in Russiaand that the Wagner’s militiamen they also remained “in their permanent camps” in Ukraine and not in belarus“for now”.

Asked about it, the spokesman for the kremlin, Dmitry Peskovresponded on his side that the Russian authorities did not follow the movements of the controversial businessman.

In Tsel, kasinsky is in charge of showing the military installation to a group of foreign journalists who were also invited to an unusual meeting with the president lukashenko.

Around 300 stores rise with capacity for accommodate up to 5,000 mens, but almost entirely empty. Only in one of them are some guards resting.

kasinsky He explains that the tents were erected in anticipation of training exercises scheduled for the fall.

But “since the field is prepared, it could be proposed” to Wagnerindicated the ministerial official.

The media published images taken from satellites of this camp under construction just after the riot of the paramilitary groupspeculating about a reception of their combatants within the framework of the agreement negotiated by lukashenko.

The same president announced on June 27 that Prigozhin had come to his country, although he later said otherwise. On Thursday he acknowledged that the issue of relocating his militias to belarus still not fixed.

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“I would like to live in peace”

After the 24-hour rebellion between June 23 and 24 that shook the Kremlin, Prigozhin He assured that he did not want to seize power, but simply to protect Wagner from being dismantled by the Russian military command, which he accuses of incompetence.

His troops, financed by Russian power, have been accused of having committed atrocities in numerous countries, such as Ukraine, Syria or Central African Republic.

“I’m afraid. I would like to live in peace, see my children grow up. It is all I can saysays one belarusian woman under anonymity that is located near the field of tsel.

Other inhabitants assure that there is nothing to fear. “It doesn’t worry me at all. If this must be done, it must be done“, says Yelena Vinglinskaya45 years old, who works in a children’s school.

The same opinion is expressed by the head of the Ministry of Defense. I don’t see why we should have a problem with it. wagner group”it states kasinsky to foreign journalists.

“We will not enter into competition with anyone. We are going to receive his unique combat experience.”assures. “The final word on where they will be based rests with Wagner and his commanders.”

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.