Because of “excursion to Poland”: will Wagner mercenaries become a problem for Lukashenko?

class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>

Hundreds of Wagner soldiers have settled in Belarus in recent weeks. After Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin (62) failed with his rebellion against the Kremlin, the Kremlin leadership exiled him to Belarus. His soldiers followed him.

But now Wagner could become a problem for Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko (68). During a visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin, 70, Lukashenko said: “The Wagner soldiers are starting to make an effort.” The mercenaries wanted to make “a trip to Warsaw and Rzeszów”. Both are cities in Poland.

Lukashenko stressed that he wanted to keep the mercenaries in central areas. A “trip” to Poland is “not a good idea,” the Belarusian dictator told Putin.

Poland apparently wants to protect itself and moved 1,000 soldiers to the eastern border area at the beginning of July. The Polish army justified the move by responding to “attempts to destabilize the borders”.

Experts see no danger

The American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is clear: with their statements Putin and Lukashenko try to present the Wagner Group as a threat to Poland. However, there is no evidence that Wagner fighters in Belarus possess the necessary heavy weapons and vehicles that would be needed for an offensive. Satellite images of the Wagner field quarters would mainly show “hundreds of normal cars and small trucks”.

As long as the mercenaries do not have the necessary heavy equipment, the private army does not pose a threat. “Even with the right equipment, they would not pose a serious threat to NATO,” the US think tank said.

Equip Prigozhin

It is unclear how many Wagner soldiers are in Belarus. Videos on social media show that hundreds of Wagner mercenaries are said to be in Belarus. The authenticity of these recordings has not yet been independently verified. The Belarusian Hajun network, which tracks the soldiers’ movements, believes there are about 2,500 Wagner soldiers in the country. This number also cannot be verified.

Prigozhin has been remarkably quiet in recent weeks. After his failed rebellion, the Wagner boss went into hiding for a long time. Last Wednesday, a video surfaced for the first time. It shows: Presumably Prigozhin, welcoming his fighters to Belarus.

Prigozhin’s latest public statement is also from last week. It was then that he announced that his troops would continue to fight in Africa. Prigozhin said nothing about the possible attack on Poland. (zis)

Source: Blick