Poland and Baltic States call on Belarus to expel the Wagner Group

As stated by Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski, Poland and the Baltic states have called on Belarus to immediately expel the Russian mercenary Wagner Group.

The demand was made after a meeting with his counterparts from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania following a failed mutiny against the Russian army led by Wagner members in late June.

Warsaw believes that thousands of Wagner mercenaries are currently in Belarus, which shares its borders with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, the latter three being members of the EU and NATO.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had expressed his intention to keep up to 10,000 organization members in the country, despite the recent death of its founder and leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a plane crash in Russia.

Kaminski emphasized that among these mercenaries are criminals released from Russian prisons in exchange for their promise to participate in the Ukraine conflict.

Describing them as a significant and capable group, the Polish minister insisted that their departure from the region is necessary for international security, expressing fears of potential armed incidents involving these mercenaries.

BELARUS

On Friday, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko confirmed that the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary unit, will continue its operations in Belarus.

This statement comes despite recent satellite images suggesting a reduction in their camp size and the recent plane incident involving their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Lukashenko, as reported by the BELTA agency, emphasized, “Wagner remains active in Belarus, regardless of some opposing views.”

He downplayed the significance of the satellite imagery, stating that the group’s core members would stay in the country.