Wagner combat convoy leaving Belarus for Russia?

The above information was posted by the National Resistance Center (NRC) of Ukraine on 23 August.

Kyiv independent Citing sources in Belarus, on the evening of 23 August some of Wagner’s military camps were cleared and members of the private military company were forming convoys to leave Belarus.

“The convoy will be heading towards the border with Russia,” the NRC said.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the private military company Wagner. Photo: AP

According to an NRC source in Belarus, the Belarusian government “did not allow the Wagner mercenary group to leave”. The Belarusian special agencies are said to be “trying to intercept these convoys at the border”.

Earlier, on 23 August, Russian media reported that “a private plane carrying Mr. Prigozhin crashed in Russia’s Tverskaya region, killing all 10 people on board.”

After Prigozhin’s brief rebellion in June, Wagner set up base in Belarus and officially cooperated with the Belarusian Ministry of Defense.

This week, Mr. Prigozhin shared a video from somewhere in Africa that suggests he has found a new role and that his act of rebellion has been ignored.

In this video, Mr. Prigozhin says he is recruiting for operations in Africa, and invites investors from Russia to pour money into the Central African Republic through the Russian House, a cultural center in the African country’s capital. Are.

theo GuardianRecent reports have revealed that hundreds of Wagner fighters based in Belarus have begun to leave the country. Some are said to be dissatisfied with the low pay, while others leave to work in West Africa. Wagner’s force in Belarus was “reduced to about a quarter of the more than 5,000 original men”.

Wagner’s activities in Russia have been interrupted for the last two months. It seems that Mr. Prigozhin and his associates are looking for a new role.

There are indications that Wagner has come to the aid of the junta in Mali, a move that contributed to the decision to end France’s nearly decade-long military campaign there.

Meanwhile, experts have warned that “after the disappearance of Mr. Prigozhin another Wagner will emerge”.

Samuel Charap, a specialist in the organization that supports research and analysis for the US military RAND Corporation, commented: “This is the end of Wagner as we know it. Moscow will probably fake a group of mercenaries. Possibly independent in Africa. Action is determined under the leadership of a sober person”.

Experts also believe that the Russian Ministry of Defense will continue to draft some of Wagner’s members into the regular army, possibly deploying them as special forces in Ukraine or elsewhere.