Ukraine will strengthen the defensive lines on the country's northern borders amid reports of Wagner's redeployment to Belarus, said President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The decision was made at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff meeting on June 30. Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi and the Commander of Joint Forces Serhii Naev were assigned the task.
After the meeting, Zelensky said he was briefed on the current situation in Belarus, which is "under constant control" by Ukraine's leadership.
Wagner Group launched an armed rebellion against Russian military leaders on June 23 after a missile attack allegedly targeted their troops in Ukraine. The mercenaries occupied Rostov and marched 200 kilometers to Moscow, only to abruptly end the insurrection less than 24 hours after its start.
Maria Yeryoma
As a result of an undisclosed agreement between Wagner's founder and the Kremlin, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his contractors were allowed to leave for Belarus.
According to Russian independent outlet Verstka, citing its sources in Belarus, a military camp for 8,000 Wagner contractors is being constructed at Asipovichy, roughly 200 km from the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.
However, Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview that Prigozhin didn't plan a massive stationing of his troops in Belarus.
According to Budanov, Prigozhin is expected to redeploy his forces that fought in Ukraine to Africa, and he needs a hub on Belarus' territory for logistic purposes and recruitment.
Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania called for reinforcement of NATO's eastern flank in response to the alleged transfer of the Wagner Group mercenaries to Belarus.
Francis Farrell
(Updated: )
