Prigozhin's plane flies to Belarus for 4th time
On the morning of 18 July, the plane of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Belarus from Russia for the fourth time after the failed rebellion against the Russian leadership.
Source: Belaruski Hajun, an independent Belarusian military monitoring media outlet
Quote: "At 11:05, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Embraer Legacy 600 business jet (reg. number RA-02795) landed at the military airfield in Machulishchy [airbase]. According to our data, the plane arrived in Belarus from St Petersburg."
Details: This is the fourth time in recent times that Prigozhin's plane has arrived in Belarus.
The previous times he arrived were on 27 June, 1 July and 11 July.
Prigozhin spent the night in a tent camp near Asipovichy on the night of 11-12 July.
Background:
- The Wagner Group fought in Ukraine, especially actively in Bakhmut, but withdrew to field camps in the late spring.
- On 24 June, the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) began an armed rebellion in Russia due to a conflict with the Russian military command, but in the evening of that day, after a conversation with self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin said that his mercenaries were returning to the field camps. The criminal case against Prigozhin in Russia was closed, and he was to "go to Belarus".
- On 26 June, the Russian media outlet Vyorstka reported that camps were being built in Belarus to house Wagner PMC militants after agreements with Alexander Lukashenko, who had been in talks with Yevgeny Prigozhin.
- It is assumed that on 11-12 July, Yevgeny Prigozhin visited the camp in Celje. As of 17 July, at least three convoys of Wagnerites had arrived there. They are allegedly without heavy weapons.
- On 11 July, the Ministry of Defence of Belarus stated that an "exchange of experience" between mercenaries of the Wagner PMC and the Armed Forces of Belarus would take place at Belarusian training grounds. On 14 July, mercenaries were already training with units of the Belarusian territorial troops near Asipovičy.
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