Wagner PMC camp is being dismantled in Belarus: satellite images

This is reported by the Belarusian service of Radio Svoboda with reference to the Planet Labs service.

It is reported that at least 101 large military tents have been dismantled over the 23 days of August. By September 9, about 60 were dismantled, with a capacity of about a thousand people.

The beginning of the dismantling of the Wagner camp in the village of Tsel was recorded on a satellite image from August 1. That is, since the beginning of August, at least 160 residential tents out of the approximately 273 that were there have been dismantled. This is about 3,000 places for Wagner's mercenaries if 20 people per tent are considered.

photo: Radio Liberty

The image shows that the tents were removed simultaneously in all parts of the camp. In the northern part, some vehicles were moved from the parking lot to the tent site. The reason is currently unknown. At the same time, the number of vehicles has not changed.

photo: Radio Liberty

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.

After the death of Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, mercenaries began to leave Belarus. At the same time, the Russian Federation said that the PMC would be disbanded, and some mercenaries would be offered contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry.

"The Wagner Group will cease to exist. The fighters will be able to go "civilian" or sign a contract with the Defense Ministry. This is an illegal armed group. There should not be any armed people in the state who are not subordinate to the state. As a result, it led to a rebellion. We were on the verge of a civil war," said Russian State Duma deputy, General Viktor Sobolev.