Satellite imagery appears to show a new barracks being built in Belarus, which could house Wagner militants.
Images provided by Planet Labs show dozens of tents that have been erected over the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a Belarusian town 230 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border.
A satellite image taken on June 15 shows no sign of the rows of white and green structures that are clearly visible in another image taken of the same area on June 30.
Satellite imagery taken on June 30 shows what appear to be dozens of tents set up at a former military base on the outskirts of the Belarusian town of Osipovichi. Photo: Planet Labs
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters face no prosecution and were offered asylum in Belarus last week, after Minsk helped broker a deal that ended the group's rebellion against Russian military leaders.
Wagner then captured a military headquarters in southern Russia and marched hundreds of kilometers toward Moscow.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said his country, a close ally of Russia, could use Wagner's experience and expertise, claiming he had offered the militants an "abandoned military facility" to set up camp.
About 8,000 Wagner members could be deployed in Belarus, Ukrainian border service spokesman Andriy Demchenko told the country's media on July 1. In an interview with Ukrainska Pravda , he said Kiev would reinforce its 1,084-km border with Belarus as a precaution.
President Lukashenko has previously allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine. He has also welcomed Russia's continued military presence in Belarus as well as the deployment of some of Moscow's tactical nuclear weapons there.
According to Demchenko, about 2,000 soldiers from regular Russian army units are still stationed in Belarus.
President Lukashenko said on June 30 that the Belarusian armed forces could benefit from training by Wagner members, while asserting that the mercenary group was "not a threat" to the population.
Wagner members prepare to leave the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don to return to base on June 24. Photo: AFP
He also declared that Belarus would "definitely" not use nuclear weapons deployed on its territory and would not directly participate in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“The longer we live, the more we believe that nuclear weapons should be with us, in Belarus, in a safe place. I am sure we will never have to use them and the enemy will never set foot on our soil,” he said.
Vu Hoang (According to AP )
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