The gist: The Ukrainian army is strengthening the border with Belarus after that country announced the arrival of soldiers from the Wagner troops on its soil after their failed uprising against Moscow in late June. Reporting.
Ukrainian forces are on alert at a long-closed border crossing between Ukraine and Belarus, but Oleg, a border guard with Kalashnikov in hand, says he saw no sign of the presence of Wagner mercenaries from the other side. The Ukrainian army announced on Thursday that it would reinforce the border with Belarus with trenches and mines after the country announced the arrival of Wagner’s soldiers on its soil after their failed uprising against Moscow in late June.
Kyiv “closely follows the development of the situation”
According to Oleg, 26, no movements of Wagner troops were sighted in this section of the border. But Ukraine is ready to “repel” any attempted invasion by Russian forces, including the Wagner Group, said the soldier, who did not give his name. “Since Belarus stabbed us in the back, we do not rule out the possibility of Wagner militants moving or deploying on Belarusian territory,” he adds. On February 24, 2022, the Russian army invaded through Belarusian territory towards Kiev and entered the Chernihiv region of Ukraine. At the same time, the supreme commander of the Ukrainian armed forces asked the Western Allies for more armaments in order to be able to carry out the counter-offensive.
Minsk said this week that Wagner fighters are currently training Belarusian forces near Assipovichy in the east of the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Kiev is “closely monitoring the development of the situation (…) and there are currently no major threats” to Ukraine. On the morning of the invasion on February 24, Ukrainian border guards blew up a road bridge over the Dnipro River, the natural border with Belarus. On this day, Russian troops entered the Chernihiv region. Heavy fighting ensued until the withdrawal of Russian forces in April 2022. However, the region is still regularly bombed.
An eerie calm
At the border, Ukrainian border guards said they observed but did not speak to their Belarusian counterparts. The situation on the border is “under control, calm, we don’t register any provocation from the Belarusian side,” said Oleg. He said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces estimate that there are about 2,000 Russian regular army personnel, as well as planes and helicopters, on the territory of Belarus.
There are two shops and a church on the main street of Dniprovske village. Viktor Koren, 76, who went there to buy cheese, admitted to being “nervous”. “Of course I’m nervous. Because it’s so close. There’s a river near us, a border, and these assholes are on the other side of the border,” he said, referring to the Russians. At the grocery store where he stores goods, 20-year-old Ilya Bobok says he’s confident Ukraine can withstand any new attack. “The first time they (the Russians) had the element of surprise. Now I think it won’t work. We have experienced people. brave boys. I think there’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said. Shopkeeper Kateryna Bobok, 37, confirms there is “no sign anything has changed”. But she remains confused. “It’s even quieter, it’s a little bit unsettling,” she said.