Large Wagner PMC convoy arrives in Belarus, Ukraine confirms

The Belarusian Hajun monitoring project reported the information.

"A combination of factors indicates that this is a Wagner PMC column that entered Belarus from the Russian Federation at night near Krychaw," the report says.

They then passed through Rahachou towards Babruisk and further to Asipovichy. The route indicates that the Wagner column is moving to a tent camp in the village of Tsel.

"According to our data, the column included at least 60 vehicles, among them pickups, large trucks, vans (Bukhanka) and at least 3 buses for the transportation of people. The column was escorted by the traffic police of Belarus," the statement said.

Ukraine's response

The spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Andriy Demchenko, confirmed the information about Wagner PMC mercenaries arriving in Belarus, Ukrainska Pravda reports.

"As we reported earlier, given the statements and rhetoric of the Belarusian leadership regarding hosting Russian mercenaries and the arrangement of places for their deployment, it could not be ruled out that sooner or later they would arrive in Belarus," Demchenko said.

In particular, he noted that Ukraine continues to monitor the situation in order to understand all the places where they will be deployed, their number and what tasks they will perform.

Why is Wagner PMC in Belarus

After the mutiny of Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in late June, the Kremlin announced the relocation of Wagner mercenaries to Belarus.

On June 27, self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko confirmed the arrival of Yevgeny Prigozhin in the country. According to him, Wagner mercenaries  who arrived with him will not guard the Russian tactical nuclear weapons deployed there. However, Lukashenko emphasized that he expects the mercenaries to help in the defense of Belarus, without specifying the potential source of the country's perceived threat.

On June 29, a satellite recorded the construction of a tent camp near Asipovichy in the Mogilev region of Belarus, and on July 3, Russian media published a photo of an alleged Wagner camp.

On July 11, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense stated that the Wagner mercenaries would train the Belarusian army.

On July 14, media reported that training sessions with units of the territorial troops were taking place near Asipovichy (Belarus), where Wagner PMC fighters were acting as instructors in some military disciplines.