After Wagner's brief, aborted mutiny against Moscow, the Russian mercenaries have been offered refuge in Belarus by the country’s strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky, who was informed of the situation in Belarus by Ukrainian intelligence service GUR, foreign intelligence services, and border guards, ordered the reinforcement of the northern direction at the border.
Ukraine has repeatedly expressed concerns about potential attacks originating from Belarusian territory.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Financial Times, the head of Poland's National Security Bureau, Jacek Siewiera, said Wagner fighters relocated to neighbouring Belarus could use migrants from Africa and other countries, where the paramilitary group operates, to destabilise the region, Reuters wrote.
Lukashenko, who has supported Putin in the war against Ukraine and allowed Russian troops to be stationed in Belarus, although his own forces have not directly participated in the conflict, said that his army would benefit from the combat experience of Wagner commanders.
However, he downplayed the extent of the activities the mercenaries would be authorised to carry out in Belarus.
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Source: PAP, AFP