No mass arrival of Wagner troops in Belarus – NATO

July 5, BPN. NATO is keeping a close eye on Belarus, where a Russian-backed mercenary group may be setting up a base, the alliance’s chief has said.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary-general, told Politico that the Wagner Group, a private military contractor with ties to the Kremlin, was still active in Africa and parts of Ukraine, “but not at the frontlines.” “We have so far not yet seen so many of them arriving” in Belarus, he said.

The Wagner Group is led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, formerly a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin recently called for an armed rebellion to oust the Russian defense minister, but later backed down after reaching agreements with Belarusian ruler Alaksandr Łukašenka.

The company announced it was halting new recruitment because of its relocation to Belarus.