Lukashenko boots Wagner out of Belarus [View all]

[Phil01]

Lukashenko boots Wagner out of Belarus
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/lukashenko-boots-wagner-out-of-belarus/ar-AA1f7TXM

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has reportedly kicked the Wagner PMC out of Belarus, after refusing to finance the Russian mercenaries.

Wagner forces left Russia for Belarus as part of a settlement deal brokered by Lukashenko following the armed mutiny on June 24 that saw Wagner’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin turn on his boss, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But reports have now emerged suggesting Lukashenko has refused to finance their stay in the country and the mercenaries are being 'bussed' back to Russia for a “vacation.” According to the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, operations to remove all Wagner Group men began earlier in the month, with a second phase to remove the rest going into effect this weekend.

Wagner’s services don’t come cheap. Putin recently admitted that the Kremlin has spent around $1bn on the private military company last year, using state budget funds. Previously the Kremlin denied all knowledge of Wagner.

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The presence of Wagner in Belarus has seriously worried Poland and the Baltic states, as following a successful eight-month long campaign to take the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Wagner fighters have won a reputation for military ferocity and effectiveness.

Tensions along the Belarus-Poland border have ratcheted up steadily over the last year and reached a fresh high when Belarusian military helicopters flying along the border briefly violated Polish airspace last week.

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