Prigozhin vows to make Belarusian army second best

July 19, BPN. Telegram channels linked to the Wagner private military company have released a video of its chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, pledging to train Belarusian troops so that they will be the second-best army in the world. He did not specify what army is the world’s best.

Prigozhin described developments at the Russian-Ukrainian front as disgrace, noting that Wagner should stay away from the tussle.

“We should wait for a moment to show our best. That is why the decision was made that we will be here, in Byelorussia, for a while,” he said.

He noted that Wagner soldiers had received a hero’s welcome in Belarus.

Prigozhin said that Sergei, call sign Pioner, is in charge of the Wagner contingent in Belarus. In 2021, media reported that he was in charge of the Wagner grouping in Lybia.

The Belarusian defense ministry and the Wagner Group have designed a road map for the Russian military company to share its experience with Belarusian troops in the near future, the ministry said in a statement on July 14.

Wagner Group members are already training Belarusian territorial troops near Asipovičy, Mahiloŭ region, according to earlier reports.

The reservists learn movements on a battlefield, tactical shooting, engineering, and tactical medicine.

The Kremlin-linked private military contractor announced its relocation to Belarus in early July after a feud with the Russian defense ministry and a failed mutiny. It is unclear how many Wagner fighters have actually arrived in the country.

In January 2023, the United States designated Wagner as a transnational criminal group.