{"id":11591,"date":"2023-07-17T16:33:18","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T13:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/lukasenka-unlikely-to-benefit-from-wagner-fighters-presence\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"lukasenka-unlikely-to-benefit-from-wagner-fighters-presence","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11591\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0141uka\u0161enka unlikely to benefit from Wagner fighters\u2019 presence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n By Alaksandar K\u0142asko\u016dksi, BPN<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n Wagner private military company instructors are training members of Belarus\u2019 territorial forces at the Asipovi\u010dy training ground, state media reported on July 14. Propaganda has touted benefits of mercenaries\u2019 presence in the country.<\/span><\/b>\n<\/p>\n

Training reports smack of window-dressing<\/h2>\n

\n\t The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said last week it registered Wagner Group mercenaries\u2019 movements in Belarus, after the defense ministry in Minsk said the Russian company was training territorial troops in the east.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t “Individual groups of members of private military companies moving from Russia have been observed in Belarus,” said Andrii Demchenko, a spokesman for the service.\n<\/p>\n

\n Bie\u0142aruski Hajun<\/span>, a project associated with the Belarusian opposition, said on July 15 that at least 60 Wagner Group vehicles entered the country overnight near Kry\u010da\u016d.<\/p>\n

\t The convoy, accompanied by road police, was headed for Asipovi\u010dy, a town in the Mahilo\u016d region, it said.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Meanwhile, Demchenko said that Russia had withdrawn almost all of its regular troops that underwent training in Belarus from the country. He added that the enemy did not have enough troops for a new offensive from Belarusian territory.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine from Belarusian territory, where it has an increased military presence. It used Belarus as a launch pad for its February 2022 offensive on Kyiv. At the same time, Minsk says that Belarusian troops are not directly involved in hostilities in Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t On June 23, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin called for an armed rebellion to oust the Russian defense minister. He later halted the mutiny as a result of agreements reached with Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Prigozhin claimed he had 25,000 men under his command. However, independent sources estimated his army at 5,000 to 8,000 when it was headed for Moscow.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the private army\u2019s soldiers to sign contracts with the Russian defense ministry, Kommersant<\/span> reported.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Many of the rebels are likely to join the Russian army. \u0141uka\u0161enka can hardly afford to hire more than a few hundred instructors. Wagner troops were reportedly much better paid than contract soldiers in Belarus.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Belarus\u2019 territorial forces are formed of volunteers who received some basic training, many long time ago. It would be more reasonable to use Wagner instructors, with their combat experience, to train elite forces, while Belarusian instructors could train territorial troops.\n<\/p>\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka waiting for Moscow to decide<\/h2>\n

\n\t Propaganda has played up Wagner instructors\u2019 potential effect on Belarusian troops\u2019 combat worthiness.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t State television networks have trumpeted their surprise arrival as the Belarusian ruler\u2019s brilliantly crafted plan. Critics say, however, that the Kremlin just used \u0141uka\u0161enka to end the mutiny and now wants to get rid of Wagner fighters by sending them to Belarus because their presence in Russia is already a problem.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u0141uka\u0161enka is patiently waiting for the Kremlin to sort out its complicated relationship with Prigozhin and his business empire. The Belarusian leader might try to limit their presence.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t On July 6, he stressed that the Wagner Group is a Russian company and that he was not eligible to decide on its future.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t However, several days later Putin said Wagner does not exist in Russia. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a law governing private military organizations,\u201d he stressed. Although a couple of days before he had admitted that Wagner had received billions of Russian rubles from the government.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Belarus does not have a law governing private military companies either. Therefore, it would not be easy for its government to legalize the toxic asset. In addition, Minsk would have to pay Wagner instructors\u2019 wages in Belarus, although \u0141uka\u0161enka claimed that they would stay at own expense.\n<\/p>\n

Vassalage<\/h2>\n

\n\t \u0141uka\u0161enka remains the Kremlin\u2019s vassal and his intervention to stop Prigozhin\u2019s rebellion has not made him more influential or independent.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The Belarusian ruler has stopped bragging about his meddling. In the last few days, he has been preoccupied with economic matters. He has not talked of Wagner for quite a while.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Meanwhile, Belarus\u2019 neighbors, during NATO\u2019s recent Vilnius Summit, expressed concern about the Wagner presence. The neighbors may seize the opportunity to bolster NATO presence on their soil.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Wagner men relocation has not added any significance to \u0141uka\u0161enka in the eyes of Western leaders. Quite the contrary, it convinced them that he is just Putin\u2019s vassal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alaksandar K\u0142asko\u016dksi, BPN Wagner private military company instructors are training members of Belarus\u2019 territorial forces at the Asipovi\u010dy training ground, state media reported on July 14. Propaganda has touted benefits of mercenaries\u2019 presence in the country. Training reports smack of window-dressing The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said last week it registered Wagner Group […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-11591","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u0141uka\u0161enka unlikely to benefit from Wagner fighters\u2019 presence | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Alaksandar K\u0142asko\u016dksi, BPN Wagner private military company instructors are training members of Belarus\u2019 territorial forces at the Asipovi\u010dy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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