‘Struggling to keep Wagner fighters from attacking Poland’: Lukashenko to Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently hosted his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in St. Petersburg, nearly a month after the failed mutiny attempt by the Wagner Group that rocked Moscow. During a meeting, Lukashenko apprised Putin that he is finding it difficult to stop Wagner mercenaries from attacking the neighbouring Poland.
“The Wagnerites are beginning to stretch us. I ask: ‘Why do you need to go to the West?’ [They reply:] ‘We want to go on an excursion to Warsaw, to Rzeszow’,” the Belarusian President was quoted as saying by English daily The Telegraph.
Lukashenko also provided Putin a map depicting Poland’s plan to attack Belarus. Earlier, the Polish military decided to move closer towards the Belarusian border in its east in the wake of possible threats due to the influx of the Wagner mercenary group.
“As we can see that, the ground is being prepared,” Lukashenko said.
Putin had earlier clarified that an attack on Belarus will be seen as an attack on Russia as well.
Thousands of Wagner fighters entered in Belarus in what is seen as a biggest exodus since the failed armed mutiny in Russia last month. According to an activist group Belaruski Hajun, close to 3,650 soldiers travelled to the Belarusian town of Asipovichy.
“Wagner fighters who have really been in the heat of combat are passing on valuable information and experience to our servicemen,” the Belarusian defence ministry said welcoming the mercenaries.
Earlier, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko claimed that he broke a deal between the Wagner boss and Russian President Vladimir Putin which ended the armed mutiny inside Russia in late June. Lukashenko also invited the Wagner fighters to train the military of his country.
In a recent video, Wagner Group’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin seen making what is considered to be his first public appearance allegedly in Belarus.
“The decision has been taken to stay here in Belarus for a certain time and Wagner would use the time to make the Belarusian army the second army in the world,” the person in the video said.