“If you’re looking for them, you won’t find them here,” said Belarussian assistant defense minister Leonid Kasinsky, as he walked through the site with foreign journalists who received a rare invitation to meet President Alexander Lukashenko. He considered that the final decision on where to station them rested with Wagner and his commanders. He pointed out that the tents were set up in preparation for exercises planned for the fall, and he did not rule out that this ready-made base would be presented to Wagner. He added: I do not see any reason to have problems with the Wagner Group, we will not compete with anyone. We will get their unique combat experience.
Finally, speculation grew about the possible use of the camp by Wagner fighters after satellite images circulated in media reports showing construction work there around the time of the rebellion.
The Belarusian president denied information that his country was building a new facility, but said he had offered former military sites, including the one in Tsille, to Wagner.
The New York Times published new satellite images it analyzed, showing that hundreds of large tents have been erected at an unused military base in Belarus in the past five days. According to the source, the base could be home to Wagner fighters who were given the option to move to Belarus after the failed rebellion, and the photos reveal that reinforcements can fit the needs of thousands of fighters, but the photos also show that there is little activity, indicating that the forces have not arrived yet.
