A fourth convoy of Wagner fighters comprising of at least 80 vehicles arrived in Belarus on Tuesday, July 18, according to the "Belarusian Gayun" monitoring group.
In a post on Telegram, the group said the the column of vehicles was moving towards Osypovych and a camp in the village of Tsil along the M5 highway from Bobruysk.
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It comprises at least 80 vehicles of different types, including 18 vans, over 20 UAZ pickup trucks, van trucks, PAZ buses, minibuses, and several tiltable Urals and KamAZs.
The monitors note that the vehicles bear the markings of the self-proclaimed "LNR/DNR."
"The column extends along the highway for 5 km and is approaching the exit to the village of Tsil, where the 'Wagner' PMC mercenary tent camp is located,” the group said.
“According to our information, this is the fourth column of Prigozhin's mercenaries to arrive in Belarus.”
The group also reported that on the morning of July 18, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin flew to Belarus for the fourth time since the failed rebellion in Russia.
"At 11:05 a.m., Yevgeny Prigozhin's Embraer Legacy 600 business jet (registration number RA-02795) landed at the military airfield in Machulyshchy. According to our information, the plane arrived in Belarus from St. Petersburg," the monitoring group stated.
The leader of "Wagner" previously flew to Belarus on June 27, July 1, and July 11. He spent the night in a tent camp near Osypovych on the night of July 11-12.
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On July 16, The New York Times, citing satellite images, reported that over the weekend, more than ten vehicles resembling those used by the "Wagner" group had arrived at the former military base near the city of Osipovichi in Belarus. These vehicles included large civilian trucks, minibuses, and passenger cars.
On Monday, July 17, Lithuania's Minister of Defense, Arvydas Anushauskas, stated that a contingent of "Wagner" fighters, consisting of at least 60 different vehicles, had arrived in Belarus in recent days.
"I would describe them as groups that crossed into Belarus without weapons, ammunition, and rear support. Their numbers are small, and they fundamentally do not alter the situation in the region, which has become more complicated since Russia's aggression against Ukraine began," he said.
Anushauskas added that the presence of the "Wagner" mercenaries should not cause significant concern for Lithuania.
"They were disarmed in Russia, with ammunition and heavy weapons being collected from them. Everything was left in Russia. It is evident that there was no agreement for them to enter Belarus with weapons."
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