Wagner Mercenaries Train Belarus Troops, Putin's Grip Slipping
Wagner Group mercenaries cast into exile in Belarus have been training the country's soldiers.
Experts have noted that recent training carried out by Wagner is historically done with Russia.
The increased military training suggests that Putin's influential grip on Belarus may be waning.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has historically sought dominance over Belarus, aiming to pull the neighboring state into Moscow's orbit, and the Belarusian leader has at times been characterized as Putin's puppet.
But in the wake of the Wagner Group's armed rebellion and subsequent exile, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko appears to have found an opportunity to exploit the weakened mercenary organization and partially reduce his country's reliance on Russia by having the ruthless fighters train his military — something in which Moscow's forces have previously been heavily involved.
Lukashenko played an important role in bringing an end to the short-lived mutiny in late June, brokering negotiations between the Kremlin and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. As part of the deal, Prigozhin was seemingly cast into exile in Belarus, where his mercenaries were given the chance to join him as they embarked on an uncertain future together.
Eager to take advantage of the situation, Belarus offered to host Wagner fighters at an abandoned military camp in the country's central Asipovichy district so they could providing training to the country's armed forces, and in mid-July, Minsk announced that Wagner had begun training Belarusian territorial defense units.
A fighter from Russian Wagner mercenary group and a Belarusian service member take part in a joint training at the Brest military range outside Brest, Belarus, in this still image released July 20, 2023. Belarusian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Several weeks later, this partnership seems to have expanded.
Wagner fighters are now training Belarusian troops in exercises typically conducted in partnership with Russian soldiers, according to a Monday analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington, DC-based think tank that has followed these developments closely.
Wagner mercenaries recently began conducting "company-level training" elements of multiple mechanized brigades, which covered dismounted infantry maneuvering, drone evasion, and combined arms assault that featured the integration of tanks and artillery support.
"The Wagner Group's new role in Belarusian company-level training is notable," the ISW analysis said. "The Belarusian military typically conducts such exercises with Russian trainers and relies on Russian planners for any multi-brigade exercises, which ISW has not yet observed Wagner Group participating in."
George Barros, an ISW analyst, told Insider that "Wagner's failed rebellion posed a very good opportunity for Lukashenko to potentially open up options to allow the Belarusian military to wean itself, perhaps over the span of a long time, off the structural dependency that the Russian military has developed for the Belarusian military."
ISW also noted recent cooperation between the mercenaries and a Belarusian airborne brigade that typically trains with Russia, adding that this new dynamic suggests Wagner "may seek to supplant legacy Russian-Belarusian unit relationships."
These shifts break from the norms Moscow has sought to create. Over the past decade, "the Kremlin's been wildly successful with their integration campaign," Barros said, especially in their military. Minsk's military is relatively small, and it lacks the "connective tissues," Barros added, because Russian forces have "conducted a successful sort of corporate takeover of the higher function planning and command and control functions of the Belarusian military."
For years, Belarus has been reliant on Russia's economic and security support, especially as the country went through a period of domestic turmoil as a result of pro-democracy protests. In turn, Belarus has supported Russia in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine and even agreed to let Moscow store tactical nuclear weapons there. With Moscow's backing, Lukashenko has led Belarus since the mid-1990s, holding onto power despite opposition and amid questionable elections. Given Putin has been a key ally, Lukashenko has long been considered to be under the Russian leader's thumb.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia June 9, 2023. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS
But the aftermath of the Wagner rebellion has exposed some irregularities in the relationship between the two countries. Lukashenko bragged about how he saved Moscow from the mutiny, which experts said was a "humiliating" moment for Putin. But more than that, he appears to be exploiting the situation.
"Perhaps Lukashenko saw the aftermath of the rebellion and realized it failed," Barros said. "Prigozhin needs a lifeline, and Lukashenko has a problem, that is known to everybody, in that my military is systematically and structurally dependent on the Russians. They have a common adversary in Moscow now, and they can actually mutually benefit from each other."
Now, by taking advantage of Wagner's presence and increasing military ties, Lukashenko seems to be weakening the gravitational pull that Russia exerts over Belarus. And the move has been in the works for weeks.
On July 17, Lukashenko signed a law creating a people's militia, likely a group of volunteers who would train under Wagner. Shortly after that, Wagner troops began training internal troops, the Belarusian Deputy Commander of the Internal Troops confirmed on July 25.
Prigozhin said in a video from the Belarus camp in late July that Wagner forces would remain in Belarus "for some time" and prepare to eventually head to Africa, where the mercenary organization already has a footprint in several countries and has been accused of widespread human rights abuses and a laundry list of atrocities.
Lukashenko, meanwhile, has praised the Wagner fighters and welcomed the military training with open arms. According to state-run news site Belta, Lukashenko said Tuesday that the mercenaries will "help us totally for free and pass on their experience."
FILE - In this photo taken from video released by Belarus' Defense Ministry on Thursday, July 20, 2023, Belarusian soldier of the Special Operations Forces (SOF) and a mercenary fighter from Wagner private military company attend the weeklong maneuvers that will be conducted at a firing range near the border city of Brest, Belarus. Belarus' Defense Ministry via AP, File
"I need to train my own military personnel because an army that doesn't fight is half an army. You also understand it perfectly well. I don't want to fight. I don't want our guys to die. This is why they need to be trained," Lukashenko said, according to an English translation of his remarks.
"They will give advice and say something. They are very satisfied with our warriors. They say that they are very well-trained people and, most importantly, they want to learn," he added.
Lukashenko may also be signaling his intent to use Wagner in the creation of some sort of a Belarusian "contract army," which, according to Barros and an ISW's Tuesday update, the Belarusian does not currently have.
But while this may be of great interest to decision-makers in Belarus, these developments likely aren't a priority for Moscow.
"They're prioritizing defeating the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south," Barros told Insider, adding that Russian forces are focused on "reconstituting their forces, preparing for the next subsequent fighting season over the winter, and potentially regrouping for another offensive."
It's unclear exactly how many Wagner fighters are operating in Belarus, but their presence in the Russia-allied state has rattled some in the West, including neighboring countries Poland and Lithuania. Officials in the two NATO countries expressed concerns after Poland said over 100 Wagner mercenaries recently moved into position near its border with Belarus, and that two Belarusian military helicopters even violated its airspace, which Minsk denied.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby downplayed the concern though, saying there's no indication that the mercenaries are an immediate threat to NATO.
"We're not aware of any specific threat posed by Wagner to Poland or to any of our NATO allies, and we're watching that, obviously, closely," Kirby told reporters on Tuesday, adding that the US is still committed to "defending every inch of NATO territory."
Source: Business Insider
