NATO countries bordering Belarus have spoken of strengthening their security forces due to the relocation of Wagner Group troops.
At least two leaders from NATO countries—and one foreign minister—have publicly acknowledged concern about the recent plan for Wagner Group forces to relocate to Belarus.
The officials represent Poland, Latvia and Lithuania—three countries that share a border with Belarus.
News about some of Wagner forces being deployed to Belarus follows this weekend’s Wagner rebellion against Russia. On Friday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary group, claimed Russia’s military had killed about 30 Wagner troops in a missile strike, and he ordered his men to march on Moscow. The brief mutiny ended after peace was brokered on the agreement that Kremlin charges would be dropped against Prigozhin if he agreed to go into exile in Belarus.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday announced that Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus, where he is expected to set up a new Wagner base.
« The de facto relocation of Russian forces, the Wagner Group, to Belarus, together with its head Yevgeny Prigozhin, is underway, » Polish President Andrzej Duda said, according to a Tuesday report by the Polsat News TV network.
