Wagner soldiers are still present in the camp in Belarus, but now they want to march towards Poland, according to Aleksandr Lukashenko. ”They are in a bad mood,” said the Belarusian president. Lukashenko is currently in Saint Petersburg, where he had a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Sunday. This is the first time the two parties have met since Jevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner soldiers marched towards Moscow at the end of June. After that, they left Russia and were offered exile in Belarus. ”They are asking for permission” During the meeting, Lukashenko confirmed that they are still there but hinted that they want to go towards Poland. ”I am keeping them in central Belarus. They are asking permission to go west… on a trip to Warsaw, to Rzeszow. But of course, I am keeping them in central Belarus as we have agreed.” Putin reportedly smiled when the Belarusian president gave this update, according to AFP. Lukashenko then said that he has control over the Wagner group, but added, ”They are in a bad mood.” Javed Ali, a professor of international politics and diplomacy at the University of Michigan, says Lukashenko’s statement is an ”empty threat.” ”In the aftermath of the Wagner group’s failed mutiny in Russia several weeks ago, and their relocation to Belarus, an attack on Poland or any nearby NATO country would be incredibly provocative and trigger mutual defense obligations under Article 5 that would likely result in serious harm to Wagner soldiers if they attempted such a move,” he told Newsweek. The camp is growing The Wagner force has taken over an unused old military facility 65 miles southeast of the capital, Minsk. In recent days, there have been reports of increased activity in the camp as a convoy of up to 300 vehicles arrived. CIA director Bill Burns recently said he believes that Jevgeny Prigozhin is also present in Minsk, which has been confirmed by Sky News. A video verified by the British TV channel shows Wagner’s leader at the base speaking to the soldiers.
