a Spanish Mundo versed in one of the most controversial stories of recent days: the detention of Russian citizens on the territory of Belarus. The author cites the view that these detentions can give Lukashenka the possibility to cancel the elections scheduled for 9 August. The Russian foreign Ministry has condemned the detention of its citizens.
The Belarusian government is accused of terrorism in about 30 Russian mercenaries from the private military company “Wagner” detained in a sanatorium near Minsk during the most controversial election campaign in the country’s history.
“Our business is death and business is good” — written on the stripes taken from some men of military age, the detention of which was a shock for Belarus, where the election campaign and made a rift in relations between Minsk and Moscow. They are followed a few days while they lived in the sanatorium “Belorusochka” near the Belarusian capital. They did nothing, just waited for the alcohol is consumed. All was one, many dressed in military clothes. In addition, they all came from Moscow at a time when Belarus is the most controversial election campaign in the country’s history.
Minsk announced the arrest of foreign mercenaries. According to the information Agency BelTA, the evening of 29 July the forces of the KGB of Belarus detained a 32 mercenaries foreign private military company near Minsk. According to the statements of the Belarusian government detained in Belarus mercenaries are members of the Russian private army “Wagner”. The government accuses them of terrorism. This is an unofficial armed groups is relevant to Eugene Prigogine, and he, in turn, is a close supporter of Vladimir Putin. Thus, this private military company with arms protects the interests of Moscow in Ukraine, Syria, Libya and other countries.
Today the Investigative Committee of Belarus announced that these mercenaries suspected of plotting mass riots. A few hours before the State Secretary of the security Council of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Ravkov told reporters that the detained Russians suspected of preparing terrorist attacks. The Kremlin assures that he has no information about illegal actions.
9 August in the country’s presidential election, and now there are numerous protests. A big role in them is played by the opposition, which accuses Alexander Lukashenko, who heads the country since 1994, in that he exposes the persecution of their opponents. The news about the arrest of soldiers PMC “Wagner”, common in the environment of Belarusian mass media, only confirms the theory, which in recent weeks promoting Lukashenko. Now it includes Russia in the list of those who are guilty in the problems of the country.
Withpublicly the opinions of various analysts, published in the Russian press, the detention may give Lukashenko an opportunity to cancel the elections. Blogger Sergei Tikhanovski, whose wife Svetlana Tikhanovski running for President instead of him, also accused in preparing the riots.
The Belarusian leader said that he had information about the arrival in Minsk, “more than 200 fighters to destabilize the situation in the country during the election campaign.” Later, the Russian Embassy acknowledged receipt of the official notification from the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Belarus on the arrest of 32 Russians.
Lukashenko said about the existence of external threats
At the meeting with the servicemen on 24 July, Lukashenka warned about the dangers of street protests. “Any war now start with street protests, demonstrations, and then Maidana. On the Maidan [reference to the unrest in Ukraine in 2014], if its not (we have a little "resistance''), they pulled from the side”.
“These are professional soldiers, bandits, which are specially prepared, mainly in the framework of PMCs around the world, and make a lot of money on provocations in different States,” — said Lukashenko. After 32 fighters were detained not far from Minsk, another was arrested in the South of the country. According to the information Agency BelTA, all of them Russians. But some have several passports.
Recently, Lukashenko began to pay more attention to the services responsible for security. On July 28 he visited a military unit of the interior Ministry, where he watched the exercises to disperse street protests by using water cannons.
What was the plan?
It’s hard to know what is involved in these 32 mercenary. It seems that they tried not to glow. News Agency BelTA, their behavior was considered “not typical for Russian tourists” because they did not drink and was in military clothes, which immediately attracted attention. Although now Lukashenko says that the arrests confirm his warnings, hard to believe that the Russian armed force could enter the territory of Belarus without the consent of the government.
Agency BelTA has published the names of the 33 detainees mercenaries. The journalist of the edition “the New Newspaper” Denis Korotkov, specializing in the activities of the group “Wagner”, told El Mundo that the personal data of one third of the fighters from the list match what is in its archives.
“A dozen of them fought in Syria, about the same number in Ukraine.” Korotkov did not believe that they are pursuing some goals in Belarus: “These soldiers are fighting on the battlefield, they can fight, but they are not experts in provocation or in covert operations.”
Russian experts on military Affairs have different opinions about what was the purpose of these fighters in Belarus to threaten the stability of the Lukashenko regime, or, conversely, saveMB his. Perhaps it was about that, and about other, and it was a way to put pressure on Minsk on the eve of an important event, the presidential elections, which the country could significantly change their position and turn to the West. In any case, “it is difficult to imagine that a group of Wagner may, without instructions of the Kremlin to carry out any revolution or to prepare the unrest in a neighbouring state”. Perhaps they were sent there precisely in order to get them detained.
It is difficult to find accurate evidence for the involvement of these soldiers in various wars, but has published information about what is PMC “Wagner” applies, for example, in the Sudan. The Belarusian television even showed pictures of the detainees passports and some personal things, for example, the Sudanese money. Thursday, July 30, the security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that it would take measures for the extradition of detained Russian soldiers. But Moscow has made clear it would not recognize the affiliation of the detainees to the citizenship of other States, and in any case considers them Russians.
According to the Russian Internet publication Republic.ru military expert Pavel Luzin doubt that Wagner wanted to use Belarus to get to any third country. But other analysts disagree with him. Despite the pandemic, Belarus has not canceled flights. In Russia, the official air passengers are still banned. Therefore to go a neighboring country to fly out on a mission, is a good option. Before the presidential elections in Belarus in ten days. In the meantime, the President remains unchallenged Lukashenka, heading the country for 26 years.
