Wagner Group instructors trained 1,600 soldiers – internal troops’ chief

February 12, Pozirk. In the past seven months, Russian Wagner Group instructors have trained 1,600 internal troops, Mikałaj Karpiankoŭ, deputy interior minister and internal troops commander, told STV in an interview broadcast on Sunday evening.

The instructors are ready to assist Belarusian police maintain law and order during the parliamentary and local elections, scheduled for February 25, he added.

“We are preparing for possible provocations,” he said, stressing that the interior ministry and internal troops would not be taken by surprise.

On February 9, the internal troops’ Telegram channel reported on the completion of the sixth tactical and special training course taught by Wagner Group instructors with combat experience.

Wagner mercenaries have reportedly been training Belarusian troops since the summer of 2023 when the government allowed them to set up a camp in Belarus.