Wagner fighters train troops on border with Poland, Belarus says

The Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that mercenaries from the Wagner Group were training troops on the border with Poland, a statement that could increase tensions in an area where fears of conflict are already high.

The fate of the Wagner Group, which was one of the most combat-ready units fighter for Russia in Ukraine, and its pugnacious leader Ye vgeny V. Prigozhin, has been shrouded in mystery since an abortive mutiny in Russia late last month. As part of a deal to end the uprising, the Belarusian president offered Mr Prigozhin and his forces exile, but their fate has often been unclear. On Wednesday, at least three Wagner-affiliated Telegram channels posted a video of a man, whose figure and voice bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Prigozhin, welcoming hundreds of Wagnerian fighters to the camp. shooting range near the city of Brest. It's just five kilometers from the Belarusian border with NATO member Poland, and about 32 kilometers north of the country's border with Ukraine. The main photo showed only seven fighters and the statement did not specify their number.

The Polish Ministry of Defense said it was monitoring the eastern border and that its forces "are prepared to work out various scenarios as the situation evolves".

Polish President Andrzej Duda warned that the presence of the Wagner group in Belarus could "pose a potential danger" to his country and to Lithuania, which also shares a border with Belarus.

Ukrainian officials have tried to allay concerns about Wagner's forces in Belarus, while saying the country's forces are ready for any potential threat from its northern neighbor.

In the aftermath of the Wagner volt fire, President Vladimir V. Putin offered mercenary fighters contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, in an apparent attempt to sideline Mr. Prigozhin. Those who decided not to report to the leadership of the ministry have moved to Belarus and seem to continue to regard Mr. Prigozhin as their leader.

In the twilight-lit video released on Wednesday, the character believed to be Mr. Prigozhin announced that Wagner's fighters would stay in Belarus for a while to train his army, with the aim of making it the second-best army in the world.

He did not tone down his frequent criticism of senior Russian commanders, calling the situation on the front lines in Ukraine a "disgrace" in which Wagner's fighters "should not participate". He also left open the possibility of Wagner's forces resuming the fight in Ukraine.

"We must wait for the time when we can fully prove ourselves," the man says in the video, his face obscured throughout. "Maybe we will go back to the special military operation, unless we have to shame ourselves and our experience," he said, referring to Russia's war in Ukraine.