Wagner's mercenaries keep coming to Belarus: Ukraine's border guards tell whether Russian fighters pose any threat 

Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, said during a telethon.

The State Border Guard Service continues to record the arrival of private military companies’ representatives in Belarus. They are moving to the location near Osipovichi.

"Their number does not pose a threat to Ukraine now. We are well aware that they may be involved in training of Belarusian army units. In the future, they may be involved in the training and preparation of Russian units that are being trained in Belarus," the spokesman said.

Demchenko noted that Russia has almost completely withdrawn its units that were previously trained in Belarus and were at training grounds.

"Initially, we said that the number of Wagner PMC mercenaries who arrived in Belarus was estimated at hundreds. Now this number is somewhat higher. But we will say for sure in some time. It should be understood that they are usually unarmed. We do not see any heavy military equipment," added Demchenko.

The military officer does not rule out the possibility that in the future new soldiers may be deployed to Belarus as part of a rotation. However, at the moment there are practically no regular Russian army units there.

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, a sixth convoy with Wagner PMC fighters arrived in Belarus.