Moscow, (EFE).- The Minister of the Interior of Belarus, Iván Kubrakov, met today with representatives of the Wagner Group to address the training of the Belarusian special forces by Russian mercenaries.
“We have prepared a clear action plan and exchanged views on the use of different types of equipment,” the source reported on his Telegram channel.
During the meeting that took place at the training center for the Interior troops, the “coordination” between the ministry and “the private military company” was also discussed.
Belarusian President Alexandr Lukashenko expressed concern on Sunday that Russian mercenaries want to advance to Warsaw due to Poland’s support for the Ukrainian army.
“Maybe I shouldn’t say it, but I will. The Wagnerites have begun to worry us. “We want to go to the West, give us permission.” And I tell them, why do you want to go to the West? ‘To go on an excursion to Warsaw, to Rzeszow,’” Lukashenko said at the start of the meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg.
Lukashenko assured Putin that Minsk will keep the Wagnerites under tight control at the Moguiliov base, as agreed after the failed armed rebellion led by the group just a month ago, and that it will not allow them to move, since their “state of mind is bad.”
Last week the Belarusian Armed Forces already reported on joint training with the Wagnerites on the border with Poland, which immediately announced the dispatch of two military units to the area.
In total, the former Soviet republic now houses a few thousand mercenaries – the Belarusian research team Gayun reported some 3,500 strong on Monday – although Wagner estimates that number will soon reach 10,000.
Wagner maintains that he currently has 25,000 “alive and healthy” men, to which are added the wounded who are recovering.
As reported today by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), “there is no indication” that the Wagnerites have the heavy weapons necessary to launch an offensive against Ukraine or Poland.