Lukashenko tells Belarusians to 'calm down' as doubts over Wagner persist

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has urged Belarusians to "calm down" as doubts still persist over the Wagner Group in the country. After the aborted armed rebellion of the Wagner Group led by its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin against the Kremlin, it was reported that the leader along with armed mercenaries had taken refuge in Belarus following a deal brokered by Belarusian President Lukashenko.

Belarusians confused as rumours circulate

The presumed arrival of Wagner Group mercenaries following their mutiny in Russia has given rise to confusion and uncertainties among citizens of Belarus. Rumours continue to circulate about whether camps to house Wagner troops are under construction.

Lukashenko had also claimed that the Wagner Group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has left Belarus and is back in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Lukashenko bans some media outlets

The Belarusian President Lukashenko had earlier banned several Ukrainian media outlets for allegedly “discrediting” him. Recently, he has also signed a law permitting Belarus to ban media from so called “unfriendly countries.” With not many sources left for fair news, the citizens are forced to depend only on the official government sources and often fall prey to rumours.

Satellite images suggest construction of camps for Wagner mercenaries

On June 27, Lukashenko had claimed that the Wagner Group chief Prigozhin arrived in Belarus. On June 30, in his speech three days before Belarus’ Independence Day, Lukashenko said the issue of Wagner transfers to Belarus has been “inflated,” referring specifically to the fact that Wagner has heavily recruited Russian convicts.

Meanwhile, satellite imagery released by Planet Labs from June 30 showed hundreds of what appear to be field tents, as well as indications of construction work, in an abandoned military garrison near the village of Tsel in the central Mahiliou region of Belarus. The Belarusian monitoring group Belarusian Hajun suggested that the camp, comprising nearly 300 tents, could fit over 8,900 people.

On June 30, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) suggested that the Wagner Group will operate out of three large field camps in Belarus, including the abandoned military garrison in the Mahiliou region.

However the Wagner Group's moves in Belarus still remain undecided, leaving the citizens confused.