Belarus: 32 employees of the Russian group Vagner detained near Minsk

More than 30 soldiers from a “foreign private military company” whose arrest was reported by the BelTA news agency on Wednesday turned out to be Russian.

“Belarusian law enforcement officers arrested 32 fighters from a foreign private military company in the Minsk area tonight,” the agency said in a statement.

“The newcomers drew attention to themselves with uncharacteristic behavior from tourists and Russian military-style uniforms. They did not drink alcohol, did not visit entertainment venues, stood alone, trying not to pay attention. They studied the sanitarium area and its surroundings in small groups. Tonight, Group A of the Belarusian State Security Committee, with the help of Omon special forces officers, detained 32 people, “reports BelTA.

Citing law enforcement, the news agency reported that initially, on the night of July 24-25, the Russians arrived in Minsk, where they stayed in one of the hotels, but on July 27. he moved to a sanatorium near the Belarusian capital.

In particular, the police authorities had information on the arrival in Belarus of more than 200 soldiers seeking to “destabilize the situation during the electoral campaign.”

“Each of those Russians had small carry-on luggage, and they all had three large, heavy suitcases loaded into the vehicle by various men,” the agency said.

Another person is reportedly detained in the south of the country.

The Belarusian news agency provided the names and year of birth of all detainees.

Previously, tut.by did not receive a comment on the incident from the Belarusian State Security Committee.

Other law enforcement agencies also did not comment on the information.

“We still do not have any additional information,” said Sergei Kabakovich, spokesman for the Belarus Investigation Committee. The same answer was given by tut.by by the Interior Ministry.

The arrest of foreign fighters was announced in the run-up to the presidential elections in Belarus on August 9. Previously, the current head of state, Alexander Lukashenko, said in a meeting with security officials that his opponents could form “militant teams and groups that, if not avoided, would want to carry out massacres in the square.”

Lukashenko also said that there were certain “puppeteers” behind the attempts to “keep a kind of Maidan in the country,” and Ivan Tertel, head of the Belarusian state control committee, said the puppets were from Gazprom.

“We know that these people are great bosses in Gazprom, and perhaps even higher positions,” said Tertel.

The Belarusian presidential election will take place on August 9. Through them, the current authoritarian president Lukashenko, who has led the country since 1994, will seek reelection for a sixth term and will compete with four candidates.

In addition to Lukashenko, the candidates include former parliamentarian Ana Kanopackaja, president of the Belarusian Social Democrat Hramada, Sergei Cherechen, president of the narrative association Andrei Dmitriev, and a member of the opposition, the popular blogger Sergei Svetlanaichanov.