New Wagnerian activity. They are building a “tent city” near the border with Ukraine
The Ukrainian National Resistance Center reports that the Wagner Group is building a tent city at the Ziabrovka airport, about 25 km from the Ukrainian border.
“When Yevgeny Prigozhin was allegedly exiled to Belarus after a short-lived rebellion in June, he appeared to have taken his Wagner Group mercenaries with him. It looks like they may stay there for a while yet.
The Ukrainian National Resistance Center has learned that the Wagnerians are building a “tent city” for about 1,000 mercenaries at the Ziabrovka airport, about 25 km from the Ukrainian border. The center says the camp will be used for “subversive activities” around Chernihiv, an area that remains under Ukrainian control.
Wagnerians near the Ukrainian border
The Wagner Group has a history of provocative actions near the borders of other countries. The Institute for War Studies says that the Wagnerians conducted military exercises near Brest, one of the largest cities in Belarus, a kilometer from the Polish border.
Ukrainian Pravda writes that the Wagnerians will probably be used to imitate activities supporting the information operations of Russia and Belarus in order to put pressure on European countries.
This campaign aims to force European countries to reduce their support for Ukraine, “just so we don’t get attacked.” The Ukrainian National Resistance Center claims that at the initial stage, such an information operation imitates the location of the Wagner Group camps and spreads the narrative that the mercenaries are ready to march on the EU.
According to former SBU officer Ivan Stupak, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mercenaries may resort to various types of provocations. He pointed out that it is expected kidnappings of Polish border guards or attempts to provoke a shootout with them. According to a former officer of the Ukrainian services, the Wagnerians may also enter the interior of the country and carry out sabotage operations.
