U.S. Says 'Monitoring' Wagner Group’s Movements Across Belarus

Washington D.C./10.08.23/Turan:  The United States said on Wednesday that it's aware of Russia’s Wagner forces' redeployment to Belarus and continues to monitor their movements and actions, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"Of course, we’ve seen Wagner forces redeploying to Belarus," State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions about reports that a new camp was being set up for Russian mercenaries in Belarus territory.

"We continue to look closely at the actions that Wagner forces take against the interests of the countries where they operate, and we’ll continue to take actions to hold them accountable," Miller said.

He went on to add:  "As we’ve said before, the arrival of those forces in Belarus is another example of Lukashenka ceding further control and decision-making to the Kremlin, contrary to the interests and wishes of the Belarusian people."

When asked about Poland and other frontline states' handling of increasing threat from Belarus, Miller said, the U.S. has "full confidence" in the actions that its allies take.

Earlier on Wednesday, Poland announced that it will send more troops to its Belarusian border. Similarly, Latvia and Lithuania also said they were strengthening borders amid Wagner mercenary presence.

Alex Raufoglu