Wagner PMC's combat effectiveness in Belarus: British Intelligence assessment
British Intelligence assesses Wagner PMC's combat effectiveness in Belarus
According to the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom on Twitter, several thousand fighters from the private military company (PMC) "Wagner" have arrived in Belarus. However, their future combat effectiveness remains uncertain.
British intelligence indicates that the "Wagner" fighters have set up a tent camp near the village of Tsel. Satellite imagery has captured approximately 300 tents and 200 vehicles in the vicinity.
Images reveal that hundreds of vehicles have arrived at the previously sparsely populated camp since mid-July 2023. Most of these vehicles include trucks, minibuses, and a small number of armored vehicles.
"It remains unclear what has happened to the heavy equipment Wagner used in Ukraine; there is a realistic possibility that it was forced to return these to the Russian military," the message says.
The intelligence assessment emphasizes that the ability of the "Wagner" fighters to defend and maintain their heavy equipment, including aviation assets, will be a crucial factor in determining their future combat effectiveness.
Wagner's mercenaries in Belarus
Recall that following a failed coup attempt involving Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, some of the group's fighters have arrived in Belarus. They are currently situated in a tent city near the Osipovichi military base.
Ukrainian border officials assert that, at present, Wagner PMC in Belarus does not pose a direct threat to Ukraine. However, they do not rule out the possibility of provocations.
Recently, the Prime Minister of Poland stated that Russia and Belarus have sent around one hundred Wagner fighters to the Suwalki Corridor. This region connects Poland with Lithuania and other Baltic countries and serves as a geographical separation between Russia's Kaliningrad region and Belarus.
