Belarus can deploy up to 8,000 Russian mercenaries of the Wagner PMC on its territory. The Defense Forces are aware of an additional potential threat and are in constant combat readiness.
Source: State Border Service Speaker Colonel Andriy Demchenko in a commentary to Ukrayinska Pravda
Details: As Demchenko explains, the situation at the border at the moment remains fully controlled. At the moment, no Russian offensive groups are observed on the territory of Belarus. At the same time, the terrorist country of the Russian Federation continues to use the Republic of Belarus as a base for the training of its units and military aviation flights.
Thus, given the new possible risks associated with Lukashenka’s willingness to host mercenaries from private military campaigns, Ukraine is strengthening its defense in this direction, the speaker of the State Border Guard Service notes.
The development of the situation in Belarus is under constant control and is constantly monitored, adds Demchenko.
According to him, the available information, including from open sources, indicates that work is underway to equip places for the further deployment of Russian mercenaries from PMCs. And given the support that Belarus provides to Russia, the number of mercenaries that Lukashenka wants to accept can be quite significant. We can talk about 8 thousand people , the officer says.
For example, according to the State Border Guard Service, the number of Russian military from the regular army units in Belarus today is about 2 thousand.
And although the deployment of field camps is observed at a considerable distance from the border of Ukraine, it is the presence of mercenaries in Belarus that will constitute an additional potential threat to our country, primarily associated with sabotage work and the creation of various kinds of provocations, Demchenko noted.
Direct speech: “In order to strengthen the border with Belarus , the decision of the Headquarters determined the commander-in-chief and commander of the northern direction to carry out the necessary set of measures.
It should be noted that the units of the State Border Guard Service are well aware of the threats that may be from the direction of Belarus, and, together with other components of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, are in constant readiness to respond to possible provocations from the enemy and take decisive action in response.
Background :
- The Russian publication “Nimage” reported that in Belarus they began to build camps to accommodate militants of PMC “Wagner” after agreements with Alexander Lukashenko, who negotiated with Yevgeny Prigozhin.
- The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine denied this information . The State Border Guard Service noted that intelligence is carefully monitoring the situation in the country, which is an accomplice of the aggressor state of the Russian Federation.
- The self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said on June 27 that camps for the PMC “Wagner” are not being built in Belarus , but if necessary, “they will help with accommodation.”
- “We are not building any camps yet. But if they want (as I understand it, they are looking at separate territories), we will place them. Set up tents, please. But for now they are in Luhansk in their camps. We offered them one of the abandoned parts “Please – there is a fence, everything is there. Put up tents. We will help as much as we can. Until they decide what to do with them,” the Belarusian dictator said.
- At the same time, satellite images showed that in Belarus they did begin to equip a field camp for Russian mercenaries .
Source : Українська Правда