Polish Defense Ministry reacts to joint exercises of Wagner fighters, Belarusian army

This is reported by Reuters.

The Polish Defense Ministry said that the country's borders are secure and they are ready for various scenarios that may arise in the future.

The Ministry of Defense of Belarus reported on joint exercises between the Wagner fighters and the Belarusian military.

They noted that the exercises would last a week at the Brest training ground. It is located 5 kilometers from the Polish border.

"During the week, special operations forces units together with representatives of the Company will work out combat training tasks at the Brest military range," the statement says. 

How the Wagner soldiers ended up 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.

On the morning of July 15, a large convoy of cars and trucks with license plates of the so-called DPR and LPR was spotted in Belarus. Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service confirmed that those were mercenaries of the Wagner PMC.

On Sunday, July 16, the Belarusian Hajun monitoring group reported that two flags - of Russia and the Wagner PMC - had been installed at the checkpoint on the border between Belarus and Russia.

Wagner Group announced that on July 30, their main base in the Russian Federation, located in the village of Molkino in Krasnodar Krai, would be closed.

On July 19, Wagner PMC financier Yevgeny Prigozhin spoke to Wagner fighters in Belarus, calling the situation at the front a "disgrace" and urging mercenaries to "wait for the moment to show their full potential."

On July 20, it became known that another convoy of Wagner PMC fighters arrived in Belarus, the ninth since the mercenaries entered the country, Belorussian Hajun reports.

As of the morning of July 20, mercenaries from the Wagner private military company continue to arrive in Belarus, but do not pose a threat to Ukraine.

The National Resistance Center reported that a clash between Wagner PMC mercenaries and local border guards took place in the Gomel region of Belarus.