UK intelligence: Wagner mercenaries join Belarus army on NATO borders

Mercenaries from the Wagner group will provide training to Belarusian army units that will conduct drills close to NATO nations' borders.

Caliber.Az reports referring to the Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, which is published by the UK Defence Ministry on August 11.

On 7 August 2023, the Belarussian Ministry of Defence announced that the 6th Separate Guards Mechanised Brigade (6 SGMB) would conduct an exercise in the Grodno area of north-western Belarus, near the Polish and Lithuanian borders.

The ministry said that the exercise intended to incorporate lessons learnt by the Russian military in Ukraine. There is a realistic possibility that the Belarussian troops will be joined by a small number of Wagner Group advisors acting in a training role.

These specific exercises are highly likely part of the Belarussian military’s routine training cycle. 6 SGMB’s home garrison is in Grodno, and it is unlikely that the formation is currently deployed with the enablers it would need to make it combat-ready. However, Russia is almost certainly keen to promote Belarussian forces as posturing against NATO, the report added.