Monitoring group says thousands of Wagner mercenaries have arrived in Belarus since failed uprising

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A monitoring group says thousands of Russia-linked Wagner group mercenaries have arrived in Belarus since the group’s short-lived rebellion. The activist group Belaruski Hajun tracks troop movements within Belarus and it says between 3,450 and 3,650 soldiers have traveled to a camp close to Asipovichy, a town 140 miles north of the Ukrainian border. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko welcomed Wagner forces into the country after the group’s failed revolt against the Russian military last month. He says the mercenaries are “straining at the leash” to attack Poland and have been training with Belrusian troops.