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☆ Opinion: Prigozhin seemed to be living on borrowed time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Opinion Daniel Treisman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin — who the Russian aviation agency confirmed was a passenger on board a plane that crashed on Wednesday evening — seemed to be living on borrowed time. Video of the plane debris taken at the purported crash site in the western Tver region of Russia matches the plane registered to Prigozhin. Investigations were started within the armed forces, and probably within the security forces as well. Any effort to paint Prigozhin as wealthy and corrupt stopped almost immediately, and no new financial investigations were announced. And in what might have been the last straw for Putin, Prigozhin released a video on Monday of himself standing in what looked like an African desert, boasting of his men’s exploits.

Persons: Daniel Treisman, “, CNN — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, William Burns, “ I, Alexander Zemlianichenko, –, —, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Viktor Afzalov Organizations: University of California, CNN, Belarus, CIA, Kremlin, Central African, Investigations, Washington, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Los Angeles, Russian, Russia, Tver, Kuzhenkino, Tver region, Moscow, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Sudan, Ukraine, Petersburg, Sahel, St . Petersburg

☆ 'Final nail in the coffin' for Russia's Wagner Group as leader Prigozhin presumed dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Stringer | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesRussian mercenary force Wagner Group may have suffered a "final nail in the coffin" with the presumed death of leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash, analysts suggest. Yet the group also appeared to call for peace, with the Wagner Group Telegram channel on Thursday calling for its members and supporters not to "take any measures" within Russian territory. A member of private mercenary group Wagner pays tribute to Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin following their apparent deaths in a plane crash on Aug. 23, 2023. Members of the Wagner Group prepare to depart from the Southern Military District's headquarters and return to their base on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

Persons: Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Jason Bush, They've, Bush, it's, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Nikolayev, Putin, disbursing Wagner, who'd, reimagining Wagner, Doxsee, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, —, Prigozhin's Organizations: Wagner Group, Southern Military, Stringer, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NBC News, Grey Zone, Central African, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Armed Forces, Kremlin, Redut PMC, Mercenaries, Defense Ministry, Eurasia Group, CNBC, Afp, Russian Embassy, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Transnational, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Russian Aerospace Forces, PMC Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Moscow, Tver, Hell, Russia's, Ukraine, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Syria, Belarus, Africa, Russian, London

☆ The CIA's director predicted last month that Putin would seek revenge on Yevgeny Prigozhin after his failed coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CIA director William Burns predicted last month that Putin might not be done with Yevgeny Prigozhin. Prigozhin led a short-lived coup against Russian military leaders exactly two months ago. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe feud between Prigozhin and Russian higher-ups came to blows in late June, when Wagner launched a failed mutiny against Russia's military leadership in late June, with Prigozhin marching his mercenary troops toward Moscow. But the coup was short-lived when Prigozhin appeared to make a sudden reversal, ordering his troops to turn back and stand down. Since then, Prigozhin's whereabouts and standings with both Russian military leadership and Putin himself have been all over the place.

Persons: William Burns, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Bill Burns, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Burns, Prigozhin —, —, Wager, Alexander Lukashenko, They've, it's Organizations: Russian, TASS, Service, Kremlin, Belarusian Locations: Wall, Silicon, Aspen, Tver, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Prigozhin, Belarus, Russia, Belarusian, Africa

Humble beginningsPutin and Prigozhin share relatively humble beginnings, and the Wagner chief grew up in the tougher neighborhoods of St. Petersburg, which is also the president’s hometown. Prigozhin founded Wagner that year as a mercenary outfit that fought both in Ukraine and, increasingly, for Russian-backed causes around the world. In recent months, Prigozhin has created a dilemma for Putin by becoming an outspoken critic of Russia’s military leaders. The Wagner mutiny began when Prigozhin unleashed a fresh tirade against the Russian military and then marched his troops into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Prigozhin responded on Telegram saying that Putin was “deeply mistaken.”“We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and are fighting,” the Wagner chief said.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, ”, Humble, George Bush, Jacques Chirac of France, ” Prigozhin, Defense Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Wagner –, –, Mark Hertling, Misha Japaridze, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, “, Don Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian, Moscow Times, Defense, Reuters CNN, Central African, Internet Research Agency, US Treasury Department, United, Russian Defense Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Belarus, St . Petersburg, Africa, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Mali, Syria, Soledar, Prigozhin's, Russia, Bakhmut, Rostov

☆ Apparent death of Wagner boss Prigozhin might pay dividends for the Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Ukrainians and their allies, Solovyov insinuated, were “spreading a fake message about the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin” based on a report from Rossiya-24, a Russian state television channel. After all, Russian investigative outlets have reported that the Wagner head apparently employed at least one body double. Awaiting an impartial report from the Investigative Committee is like expecting a Russian state TV host to stop taking talking points from the Kremlin. The crash of Prigozhin’s plane happened just about two months after Prigozhin and Wagner staged their insurrection, the biggest challenge to Putin’s rule in over two decades. Russian investigative journalist Artem Borovik died in 2000 shortly after his plane to Kyiv crashed after take-off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Solovyov, Solovyov, Yevgeny Prigozhin ”, Prigozhin –, Batya, –, Vladimir Putin’s, Alexey Navalny, Putin, “, Russia, That’s, Alexander Lukashenko, defenestration, Artem Borovik, Alexander Lebed –, cui bono –, Vanda Felbab, Brown, liquidating Wagner, ”, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Embraer, Kremlin, Russian Federation, Brookings Institution Locations: Kuzhenkinskoe, Russia’s Tver, Russian, Rossiya, Moscow, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Africa, St . Petersburg, Niger, Kyiv, Moscow’s Sheremetyevo, East

☆ A BRICS no-show speaks volumes about Putin's shrinking horizons
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But Putin will be notably absent from a key global forum this week, the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. His no-show speaks volumes about Russia’s isolation – and Putin’s shrinking horizons. Bolstering such support against the background of the war on Ukraine was a key aim of Putin’s recent Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin, of course, bristles at any implication that Putin is ducking out of the BRICS summit because of an ICC warrant. Russia, after all, is waging a war on Ukraine that Putin has justified in starkly imperial terms.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, he’ll, Alexander Lukashenko, Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi –, Sergey Lavrov, Omar al, Bashir –, Darfur –, Dmitry Peskov, ”, Lavrov, “ Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Putin, South, Indian, International Criminal, ICC, Hague, Russian, UN Security Council Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Beijing, Central Asia, Iran, Minsk, Belarusian, Russia, Johannesburg, Russian, Africa, St . Petersburg, Latin America, Asia, South Africa, Darfur, BRICS, United States

CNN —Belarus would be willing to use the nuclear weapons given by close ally Russia in the face of foreign “aggression,” President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday, as tensions rise around the country’s borders with NATO nations. In June, Russian nuclear warheads were reportedly delivered to Belarus for “deterrence,” according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. We will use the entire arsenal of our weapons for deterrence.”“We didn’t bring nuclear weapons here in order to scare someone,” he added. “Yes, nuclear weapons represent a strong deterring factor. But these are tactical nuclear weapons, not strategic ones.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Belta, Lukashenko, “, ”, Wagner, Putin, ” “ Putin, ” Lukashenko, Ukraine Lukashenko, –, Viktor Yanukovych – Organizations: CNN, NATO, Latvia –, US Defense Intelligence Agency, DIA, European Union Locations: Belarus, Russia, Minsk, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, NATO, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Latvia – Belarus, Europe, “, Polish, Crimea, Crimean

☆ Lukashenko says Zelenskiy halted direct contacts between Ukraine and Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Aug 17 (Reuters) - There have been direct contacts between Ukraine and Belarus but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy put a halt to them, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during an online interview broadcast on Thursday. loadingThe last such contact occurred a few months ago, he said during in the interview with Diana Panchenko, a pro-Russian Ukrainian journalist. According to Lukashenko the topics discussed included a potential Belarus involvement in the war on Russian side, potential use of nuclear weapons and Wagner Group mercenaries, now stationed in Belarus. But we had these contacts, we talked. Writing by Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Alexander Lukashenko, Diana Panchenko, Lukashenko, Maxim Rodionov, Sandra Maler Organizations: Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Belarus, Russian Ukrainian

☆ Wagner, infamous for brutality in Ukraine and a failed mutiny in Russia, is registered as an 'educational organization' in its new home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Wagner Group has reportedly registered as an "educational organization" in Belarus. The embattled organization has been training soldiers in the Belarusian military for several weeks. Now, the mercenary group is registered as an "educational organization" in Belarus — its new home — as it trains the country's military. Information published by Belarus' Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs shows that Wagner registered as a company earlier this month, with the sole purpose of educational activities, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a briefing earlier this month, adding that "when it comes to Wagner Group, I think we all keep a close eye all of the time."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Pat Ryder, Agnė Bilotaitė Organizations: Wagner, Service, Belarus ' Unified State, Entrepreneurs, Wagner Group, Russian, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Officials, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Special Operations Forces, AP, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO, Belarus — Locations: Belarus, Belarusian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Asipovichy, Russian, Brest, Africa, Officials Poland, Lithuania, Warsaw, Minsk, Poland

☆ Poland to hold biggest military parade in decades, as its clout in Europe grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Kacper Pempel/ReutersPolish military vehicles are seen during a Saturday rehearsal for this week's parade in Warsaw. “Nobody is going to say that military security is not an important issue and that we shouldn’t be strengthening the military. With the UK out of the European Union and Germany still hesitant to take on a leadership role on Ukraine, Poland has sensed its opportunity. In November, two people were killed in eastern Poland, about four miles (6.4 kilometers) west of the Ukrainian border, by a Ukrainian missile defending against incoming Russian fire. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asked the group to help train his country’s military, and earlier this month the two forces held joint training exercises near the Polish border.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Kacper Pempel, Pawel Supernak, ” Edward Arnold, Arnold, Aleks, ”, Jamie Shea, Putin, ” Arnold, ” Shea, Abrams, “, Dominika, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Mariusz Blaszczak, Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, NATO, Poland’s Defense Ministry, Polish, Russia’s, Abrams, University of Sussex, University of Exeter, Chatham House, Eastern Europe …, European Union, Ukraine, United Nations, “, Polish Army, Getty, Kremlin . Locations: Poland, Belarus, Korean, Crimea, Ukraine, Russian, Kaliningrad, Warsaw, Russia, Polish, Soviet, North Korea, Iran, Communist Poland, England, East, Afghanistan, Central, Eastern Europe, Germany, France, Washington, Ukraine Poland, South Korea, Italy, Polanka Wielka, Ukrainian, Minsk

☆ Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner Group leader, will be killed by Putin or lead another coup within 6 months, journalist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An investigative journalist predicted that the Wagner Group boss would either be killed or lead another coup. After an aborted mutiny, Yevgeny Prigozhin and many Wagner troops agreed to move to Belarus. A think tank said that Wagner troops were planning to return to Russia, suggesting the deal was collapsing. In six months, Prigozhin will either be dead, or there will be a second coup. The think tank said that Putin has "failed to decisively resolve" issues brought up by Prigozhin and Wagner following the rebellion.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Christo Grozev, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Vladimir, Putin, Grozev, Alexander Lukashenko, ISW, Lukashenko Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Financial Times, Bellingcat, for Locations: Belarus, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Belarusian

☆ Poland plans to send up to 10,000 soldiers to border with Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A sign is seen near the Bug River at the Poland-Belarus border, near Kostomloty, Poland July 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki/File PhotoWARSAW, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Poland is planning to move up to 10,000 additional troops to the border with Belarus to support the Border Guard, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Thursday. "About 10,000 soldiers will be on the border, of which 4,000 will directly support the Border Guard and 6,000 will be in the reserve," the minister said in an interview for public radio. Deputy interior minister Maciej Wasik said on Wednesday that Poland would send 2,000 additional troops to its frontier with Belarus. The head of the Border Guard, Tomasz Praga, said earlier this week that 19,000 people have tried to cross the Polish-Belarusian border illegally this year, up from 16,000 last year.

Persons: Kuba, Mariusz Blaszczak, Blaszczak, Maciej Wasik, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Tomasz Praga, Pawel, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Border Guard, Defense, Thomson Locations: Poland, Belarus, Kostomloty, Belarusian

☆ Poland to send 2,000 troops to reinforce Belarus border
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A sign is seen near the Bug River at the Poland-Belarus border, near Kostomloty, Poland July 20, 2023. Poland has worried increasingly about the border area since hundreds of battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus last month at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus started military exercises near the border this week, and Lukashenko said several times that he is restraining Wagner fighters who want to attack Poland. "This reinforcement will be not by 1,000, but by 2,000 soldiers," Maciej Wasik told PAP. Belarus started military exercises near the border this week.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Maciej Wasik, Mariusz Blaszczak, Wasik, Alan Charlish, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Border Guard, Security, Defence, Thomson Locations: Poland, Belarus, Kostomloty, WARSAW, Belarusian, Warsaw

☆ Belarus opposition march in Warsaw on anniversary of contested election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Hundreds of opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko marched through the Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday to mark the third anniversary of their unsuccessful attempt to unseat him in an election they say was rigged. Protests dragged on for months after Lukashenko claimed victory in the Aug. 9, 2020 presidential election. Western countries backed the protesters' demand for a peaceful transfer of power and slapped economic sanctions on Belarus. [1/5]People take part in Belarusians' march through Warsaw on the third anniversary of the 2020 presidential election which was followed by mass protests over alleged electoral fraud, in Warsaw, Poland, August 9, 2023. Exiled opponents of Lukashenko met in Warsaw on Sunday to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Sviatlana Mishurova, Kacper, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Kuba Stezycki, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: WARSAW, Warsaw, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Poland, Warsaw

Ukraine’s National Resistance Center — an official body — claimed Tuesday that the construction of another camp to host Wagner Group fighters has begun in the Zyabrovka Air Base in Belarus. “On the border with Ukraine, in the village of Zyabrovka in the Republic of Belarus, a new camp for 'Wagner' PMC mercenaries is being built,” the center said on its website. Zyabrovka is located near Gomel in southeastern Belarus, about 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine's Chernihiv region. The camp can house around 1,000 personnel, the center said, and it looks like a tent city. Moscow used Belarusian territory to facilitate its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, strengthening ties between President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko.

Persons: —, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Wagner’s, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, ” Organizations: Resistance Center, Wagner Group, Zyabrovka, Base, PMC, “, CNN, Ukraine, NATO Locations: Belarus, “, Ukraine, Zyabrovka, Republic of Belarus, Chernihiv, Gomel, Ukraine's Chernihiv, Russia, Moscow, Poland, Europe, Warsaw, Belarusian

And his fellow veterans of the Ukraine conflict are bound to play a role in the fight for their own country. With nearly all the opposition now in jail or exile, that is no small feat. Six weeks ago, there was a brief jolt of hope for the Belarus opposition, when Russia's Wagner mercenary group launched a mutiny inside Russia. But within hours, Lukashenko himself helped bring an end to the Russian mutiny, negotiating for Wagner fighters to move to Belarus. Exactly what role the Wagner fighters will play in Belarus is anyone's guess, but for the opposition, nothing good can come of it, said Kedyshko.

Persons: Pavel Maryeuski, Alexander Lukashenko's, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's, Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko, Stanislava Glinnik, Belarus's, Pavel Kuhta, Tsikhanouskaya's, Sergey Kedyshko, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Weeks, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Mike Collett, White, Peter Graff Organizations: WARSAW, Reuters, Coordination, United Operational, Lukashenko's Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Minsk, Soviet, Karma, Warsaw, Belarusian, Moscow

[1/5] Belarus' exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gives an opening speech during the New Belarus conference in Warsaw, Poland, August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Kuba StezyckiWARSAW, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Exiled opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko met in Poland on Sunday, on the eve of the third anniversary of their unsuccessful post-election protests, to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports. Set up in August 2022 by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the self-declared government-in exile has opened more than 20 alternative embassies and information centres abroad. Speaking at a hotel in Warsaw to several hundred activists, including independent media and civic groups, Tsikhanouskaya urged opposition forces abroad to unite and support the creation of a "New Belarus" movement. Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron first since 1994, using security forces to intimidate, beat and jail his foes or force them to flee abroad.

Persons: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Tsikhanouskaya, Syarhei Tsikhanouski, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: New, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Belarus, New Belarus, Warsaw, Poland, WARSAW, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Belarusian

☆ Exiled Wagner mercenaries are training Belarusian troops in what may signal Putin's puppet next door is cutting some of the strings
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Wagner Group mercenaries cast into exile in Belarus have been training the country's soldiers. The increased military training suggests that Putin's influential grip on Belarus may be waning. "The Wagner Group's new role in Belarusian company-level training is notable," the ISW analysis said. Shortly after that, Wagner troops began training internal troops, the Belarusian Deputy Commander of the Internal Troops confirmed on July 25. Lukashenko, meanwhile, has praised the Wagner fighters and welcomed the military training with open arms.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Eager, Russian Wagner, ISW, George Barros, Wagner's, Barros, Putin, Belta, John Kirby, We're, Kirby Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Wagner Group, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Russian, Institute for, Belarusian, Sputnik, Internal Troops, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Special Operations Forces, AP, Moscow, Ukrainian, Minsk, White, National Security, NATO Locations: Belarus, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Belarusian, Asipovichy, Minsk, Russian, Brest, Washington, DC, wean, Moscow, Ukraine, Sochi, Kremlin, Africa, Poland, Lithuania

☆ Poland-Belarus: Tensions high on NATO's border with Belarus after Wagner troops move closer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Sana Noor Haq Josh Pennington Niamh Kennedy Darya Tarasova Jessie Gretener Yulia Kesaieva | Sana Noor Haq | Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Belarusian soldiers and Wagner troops attend joint training exercises near the border city of Brest, in Belarus on July 20, 2023 amid increased border tensions between Warsaw and Minsk. Belarus' Defense Ministry/Handout/AP/FileMinsk had informed Warsaw about the exercise, but a border crossing took place in the eastern Bialowieza region at a “very low altitude, making detection by radar systems difficult,” the Polish defense ministry said in a statement. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak subsequently ordered that more troops and combat helicopters be deployed along the border, the ministry added. “By deploying troops from both the west (Kaliningrad) and the east (Belarus), Russia would be able to effectively cut off the Baltic States from its NATO allies in central and western Europe. Five EU countries, four of whom border Ukraine – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria – lifted sanctions on the import of Ukrainian grain, which they had installed to protect their own agricultural industries.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Wagner’s, Mariusz Blaszczak, Mateusz Morawiecki, Paweł Jabłoński, Barbara Yoxon, Putin, “, ” Yoxon, ”, Yoxon, Bulgaria –, Marcin Przydacz, Poland Organizations: CNN, NATO, EU, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Polish, Belarusian Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Lancaster University, “, Presidential, International, Ukraine, ” Locations: Poland, Belarus, Minsk, Europe, Warsaw, Belarusian, Lithuania, Russian, Moscow, Brest, Polish, EU, Russia, Kaliningrad, Baltic, Grodno, England, Ukraine, Baltic States, Latvia, Estonia, Western, Ukrainian, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Kyiv, Republic of Poland

☆ Lukashenko taunts Poland again over Wagner troops near border
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 23, 2023. Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo License this content on Reuters ConnectAug 1 (Reuters) - Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries near the NATO country's border, saying Warsaw should thank him for keeping them in check. State news agency Belta quoted him on Tuesday as saying that the Poles "should pray that we're holding onto (the Wagner fighters) and providing for them. Rzeszow is a city in southeast Poland near the Ukrainian border. On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said a group of 100 Wagner fighters had moved closer to the Belarusian city of Grodno near the Polish border, describing the situation as "increasingly dangerous".

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Danichev, Russian Wagner, Wagner, Belta, Mateusz Morawiecki, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Reuters, Tuesday, NATO, Polish, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kremlin, Poland, Warsaw, Belarus, Lukashenko, Rzeszow, State, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Grodno, Brest, Ukraine

☆ Poland's prime minister fears over 100 Wagner mercs approaching his country's borders will try to pose as migrants and sneak into NATO territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Wagner troops are poised to infiltrate NATO territory. Over 100 mercenaries have gathered near Poland's border with Belarus, he said on Saturday. Morawiecki warned that the fighters could pose as migrants or border guards to try and sneak in. The Russian fighters are near Grodno, a Belarusian city 10 miles from the Polish border, Morawiecki said at a press conference in Gliwice. Polish officials have for years accused Belarus of attempting to overwhelm Poland's border forces by sending migrants west — a charge Minsk has denied.

Persons: Mateusz Morawiecki, Wagner, Morawiecki, Arnoldas Abramavičius, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Jarosław Kaczyński Organizations: Polish, Service, European Union, BBC, Kremlin, Poland, Agence France Presse Locations: Poland's, Belarus, Wall, Silicon, Grodno, Belarusian, Polish, Gliwice, Minsk, Lithuanian, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moscow

In September, Medvedev said strategic nuclear weapons could be used to defend territories incorporated into Russia from Ukraine. And in January, as NATO member states debated new weapons shipments to Ukraine, Medvedev said defeat for Russia in the war could lead to nuclear conflict. “The loss of a nuclear power in a conventional war can provoke the outbreak of a nuclear war,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram in January. Nuclear rhetoricThe United States has previously warned Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, both through private direct communications, as well as public channels, including at last year’s UN General Assembly. Russia has about 4,477 deployed and reserve nuclear warheads, including around 1,900 tactical nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists.

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, ”, Medvedev, ” Medvedev, ” Medvedev’s, Putin, Matthew Miller, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, NATO, Russia’s Security, Helsinki, Russia, “, Russia’s Defense, UN, Assembly, St ., Economic Forum, US Defense Intelligence Agency, US State Department, Federation of American Scientists Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Western, Moscow, United States, Belarus, St, St . Petersburg

Thousands of Wagner troops are reportedly in Belarus following a failed military uprising in Russia. What exactly Wagner troops are doing in Grodno is unclear, as Wagner has not commented on the reports. It is not clear exacttly how many Wagner troops are in Belarus. They were invited to the country as part of a deal negotiated by the Belarus president to end the mercenary group’s armed insurrection against the Kremlin last month. The two plan to hold joint military exercises near the border with Poland, a move likely to further raise tensions.

Persons: Wagner, Mateusz Morawiecki, Morawiecki, ”, “, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, Putin Organizations: CNN, Poland ”, EU, NATO, Analysts, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Poland, Lithuania, Polish, Grodno, Belarus, Russia, Belarusian, EU, Kaliningrad, Baltic, Ukraine, Russia’s, “, ” Poland

☆ Drunken Wagner fighters are 'boozing to their heart's content' at train stations in Moscow instead of going home, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some Wagner fighters stationed in Belarus have been told to go on leave, Mozhem Obyasnit reported. One relative wrote online that the fighters are "boozing to their heart's content," it said. But many have not made it home and are choosing to get drunk instead, the outlet reported, citing public chat groups between the supposed relatives of Wagner fighters. Several Wagner fighters are ex-convicts who were released on the grounds they fight with the group in Ukraine. In line with an agreement struck by Prigozhin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko after the rebellion, the Wagner Group leader was sent to Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Mozhem Obyasnit, Yevgeny Prigozhin, haven't, they're, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Service, Group, BBC, Daily Locations: Belarus, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Syria, Africa, Ukraine, Russian

CNN —Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private military company, was spotted inside Russia on Thursday for the first time since he led an armed rebellion against the Russian military last month. Wagner has had a presence in the Central African Republic for several years, as previously reported by CNN. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko – a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir – claimed he convinced Putin not to “destroy” Wagner and Prigozhin during the rebellion. After Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Wagner forces were heavily involved in taking the Ukrainian cities of Soledar and Bakhmut. At times, Wagner forces seemed to be the only ones on the Russian side winning battles with the Ukrainians.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko –, Vladimir –, Putin, ” Wagner, ”, Sergei Shoigu, Gen, Valery Gerasimov, “ Organizations: CNN, Central African Republic, Central African, Kremlin, Russian Defense Locations: Russia, St . Petersburg, Russia Africa, Central African Republic, Trezzini, Belarus, Asipovichy, Ukraine, Russian, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Syria, Soledar

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