NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has Mentioned the Western army alliance is able to defend itself in opposition to any risk posed by the transfer of Russia’s Wagner mercenary drive to Belarus amid fears the relocation of the non-public military might create instability for NATO’s Eastern European members.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was reported to have arrived in Belarus on Tuesday below a deal negotiated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, which narrowly prevented the mercenaries from marching on Moscow on Saturday after the non-public military mutinied in opposition to Russia’s army leaders.

“If Wagner deploys its serial killers in Belarus, all neighbouring countries face even bigger danger of instability,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda mentioned after a gathering in The Hague with NATO’s Stoltenberg and authorities leaders from six different NATO allies.

Polish President Andrzej Duda mentioned he hoped the risk posed by Wagner mercenaries to NATO could be on the agenda at a summit of all 31 members in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12.

“This is really serious and very concerning, and we have to make very strong decisions. It requires a very, very tough answer of NATO,” Duda mentioned.

NATO’s Stoltenberg mentioned it was too early to say what the Wagner presence in Belarus might imply for NATO allies, however that the army alliance would shield “every ally, every inch of NATO territory” in opposition to threats from both “Moscow or Minsk”.

“We have already increased our military presence in the eastern part of the alliance and we will make further decisions to further strengthen our collective defence with more high-readiness forces and more capabilities at the upcoming summit,” Stoltenberg mentioned.

Prigozhin has not been seen since Saturday, when he waved to well-wishers from a automobile within the southern Russian metropolis of Rostov-on-Don, which his fighters briefly occupied.

On Tuesday morning, a non-public jet believed to belong to Prigozhin flew from Rostov to an airbase southwest of the Belarusian capital of Minsk, in line with knowledge from FlightRadar24.

Putin makes an attempt to say authority

Amid the fallout from Prigozhin’s mutiny in opposition to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s supporters have insisted his rule has not been weakened by the revolt and that Russian officers have been attempting to place the disaster behind them, with the FSB intelligence service dropping all legal prices in opposition to Wagner Fighters.

Putin has additionally tried to shore up his authority by thanking common Russian troops for what he described as averting a civil conflict and has portrayed occasions over the weekend as a kind of victory for the Russian military.

“You de facto stopped civil war,” Putin advised troops from Russia’s defence ministry, National Guard, FSB safety service and inside ministry who gathered in a Kremlin courtyard on Tuesday.

“You proved your loyalty to the people of Russia and the military oath,” Putin mentioned, earlier than holding a minute of silence for the airmen shot down and killed by Wagner forces on Saturday.

In a separate assembly with defence officers, Putin mentioned for the primary time that the Wagner Group was wholly funded by the Russian federal finances, regardless of working as an impartial mercenary drive. He added that for the reason that full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has paid the group 86.262 billion rubles (about $1bn) in salaries.

Moscow has mentioned that preparations have been below manner for Wagner fighters nonetheless in Ukraine, who quantity about 25,000 in line with Prigozhin, handy over their heavy weapons to Russia’s army.

Lukashenko and Wagner

Talking to his army officers on Tuesday, Belarus’s Lukashenko mentioned he had urged Putin to not kill the rebellious mercenary boss Prigozhin.

“I said to Putin: we could waste him, no problem. If not on the first try, then on the second. I told him: don’t do this,” Lukashenko mentioned, in line with state media.

Lukashenko additionally mentioned that his army can study a lot from the Wagner mercenaries.

“They were at the very front of the attacking troops. They will tell us what’s important now,” Lukashenko mentioned, in line with the Belarusian information company Belta.

Wagner fighters might report on which weapons labored properly in Ukraine and the way assault and defence may very well be performed efficiently, Lukashenko was reported to have mentioned.

“This is very valuable. We have to get this from the Wagner fighters,” Lukashenko mentioned, including that the mercenary troops have been nonetheless of their bases within the Russian-occupied Luhansk area of japanese Ukraine.

“But if they would like – and I understand that they are looking at a number of locations – then we will accommodate them,” he mentioned.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington, DC-based assume tank, mentioned on Monday that Russian-language opposition media had reported that Belarus was within the means of developing a number of army camps to deal with the Wagner fighters. The assume tank added {that a} base, which might accommodate as much as 8,000 fighters, was within the means of being constructed within the nation’s Mogilev area, positioned roughly 200km (124 miles) east of Minsk.

The ISW additionally mentioned that Belarus is unlikely to be a very secure place for Wagner fighters if Putin decides to renege on his deal to not prosecute them for mutiny.

“Belarus will not offer Prigozhin or Wagner fighters a true haven if the Kremlin pressures Belarus,” the ISW mentioned.

“Putin may be presenting Belarus as a haven for Wagner fighters as a trap. The Kremlin will likely regard the Wagner Group personnel who follow Prigozhin to Belarus as traitors whether or not it takes immediate action against them,” it mentioned.

Putin can also be trying to destroy Prigozhin’s popularity amongst his fighters and inside Russian society, the ISW mentioned on Wednesday.

NEW: #Putin is attempting to current #WagnerGroup financier Yevgeny #Prigozhin as corrupt and a liar to destroy his popularity amongst #Wagner personnel and inside Russian society. The ongoing Putin-#Lukashenko-Prigozhin powerplay isn’t but over.https://t.co/4A8bWmWlVl pic.twitter.com/NUDNdWoLNf

— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) June 28, 2023

The Russian chief has “likely decided that he cannot directly eliminate Prigozhin without making him a martyr at this time”, the institute mentioned.

“The Kremlin will likely continue to attack Prigozhin’s character to break Prigozhin’s popular support, discourage Wagner personnel from following him to Belarus, and destroy his financial power.”