Russia's Wagner Group Trains Belarusian Special Forces Near Poland's NATO Member Border

Wagner Group Army. (Source: ssu.gov.ua via VOA)

JAKARTA - Mercenaries from the Russian Wagner Group began training Belarusian special forces at military distances just a few miles from the border with Poland, which is a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was featured in a video on Wednesday welcoming his fighters to Belarus, telling them they would not take further part in Ukraine's war for now. But ordered them to gather their strengths for Africa, while they trained Belarusian soldiers.

"The Belarusian armed forces continue training together with Wagner PMC (Private Military Company) fighters," Belarusian Defense Ministry said.

"For a week, special operations forces units together with company representatives will carry out combat training tasks within the Brest military range," the statement continued.

It is known, its range is only 3 miles (5 km) east of the Polish border.

Meanwhile, Minsk posted a picture of a masked Wagner instructor, their faces covered in accordance with the rules of the mercenaries group, training Belarusian soldiers in armored vehicles and what looked like drone control.

Earlier, Poland, a former member of the Warsaw Pact who has been a full member of the US-led military alliance since 1999, began moving more than 1,000 troops east of the country earlier this month amid growing fears that Wagner fighters in Belarus could escalate tensions on its borders.

Poland's Defense Ministry said on Thursday the country's borders were safe and ready for "various scenarios as the situation developed".

Asked about Poland's move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "Of course it's concerning. Poland's aggressiveness is reality".

"Such hostile attitudes towards Belarus and the Russian Federation require more attention (from our side)," he said.