Wagner fighters reportedly training Belarus soldiers

Belarus says fighters from the Wagner military group are training its troops at a base southeast of Minsk.

Two Belarusian sources close to Wagner, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Friday that a number of fighters have been in Belarus since July 11.

Wagner, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, launched a short-lived mutiny against Moscow in June. Prigozhin said the move was aimed at "bringing to justice" the defense minister and chief of the general staff of Russia for what he called their unprofessional actions in Ukraine.

Belarus intervened to broker a deal between Prigozhin and President Vladimir Putin. As a result, Wagner abandoned the “march for justice” on Moscow by thousands of its recruits in exchange for safe passage to exile in Belarus. Criminal charges against Prigozhin were also dropped as part of the agreement.

MG