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Media: Wagner camps being built in Belarus

2 min read
Media: Wagner camps being built in Belarus
Wagner Group mercenaries stand on the balcony of a building in Russia's Rostov, on June 24, 2023. The mercenary group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed on June 24 that his forces control all military sites in the city. (Photo by ROMAN ROMOKHOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Camps for the Wagner mercenary group are being built on the territory of Belarus, the Russian independent news outlet Verstka wrote on June 26.

The outlet reported that a military camp for 8,000 fighters is being built near Asipovichy in Mogilev Oblast, roughly 200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, with more camps to come.

According to Verstka’s sources, the workers were given tasks to build a camp with an area of 24,000 square meters “very quickly” under the orders of the authorities.

The news outlet also wrote that family members of Wagner contractors confirmed that the fighters are being deployed to Belarus.

On June 23, Wagner’s founder Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion against the Russian government. The mercenary group occupied Rostov, a major regional capital, and marched towards Moscow before unexpectedly ending the uprising late on June 24.

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Following Prigozhin’s negotiations with Belarusian dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko that led to Wagner’s retreat, the Kremlin pledged to close the case against the mercenary boss who was set to leave for Belarus.

However, Prigozhin’s whereabouts can not be verified except for his departure from Rostov-on-Don on the evening of June 24.

Despite claims on Telegram channels that Prigozhin has been spotted in Belarus’s capital, Lukashenko’s press service wrote it has no information on whether the Wagner’s founder arrived in the country.

The Belarusian monitoring group Belaruskyi Gayun pointed out that Prigozhin’s planes so far remain in Russia.

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Martin Fornusek

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Martin Fornusek is a reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, with a focus on analyzing developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

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