July 15 (UPI) — Border guards from Ukraine confirmed on Saturday that Wagner Group forces have arrived in Belarus, while Russian President Vladimir Putin attempts to create a rift between the mercenaries and their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Service, stated in a press release that they are monitoring the situation to determine the size and location of the incoming Wagner units.
Last month, Wagner forces initially occupied a military facility in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, but then marched towards Moscow to protest against Russian military leadership and its handling of the conflict in Ukraine. However, they quickly withdrew after brokering a deal.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Putin, facilitated the deal with Prigozhin and offered him exile in Belarus. Prigozhin has since gone missing, with reports suggesting he may be in Belarus, Russia, or elsewhere.
“As of now, the available information shows that separate groups of representatives from private military campaigns moving from Russia have been observed in Belarus,” said Demchenko on Saturday.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry announced on Friday that Wagner mercenaries would be providing training for the Belarusian Armed Forces. They also released footage purportedly showing Wagner instructors training Belarusian troops near Asipovichy in Belarus’ Mogilev Oblast.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed in an interview with Russian news outlet Kommersant, published on Thursday, that he met with Prigozhin and numerous Wagner commanders on June 29. Retired General Robert Abrams told ABC News this week that the meeting was likely “highly staged.”
Putin claimed to have offered Wagner troops the opportunity to serve under their immediate commander, known by the call sign “Seda,” instead of Prigozhin, in an attempt to keep the mercenaries together.
“And nothing would have changed for them. They would be led by the same person who had been their real commander all along,” Putin said.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, many of the Wagner commanders “nodded” in response to Putin’s offer, likely as a way to differentiate Prigozhin from loyal men. Putin also curiously claimed that the Wagner Group does not exist in Russia.
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