Satellite images have shown the rehabilitation of an abandoned military base in Belarus suspected to be the new site for Wagner forces, which the Duma revealed details about its dispute with the Russian Ministry of Defense on Thursday.
This comes after about a week of rebellion by Wagner forces against the leadership of the Russian army, which ended with a settlement that required these forces to be transferred to Belarus.
The New York Times reported that satellite images showed that Belarus authorities have rapidly begun rehabilitating an abandoned military base west of the city of Asipovichy.
The newspaper suggested that this base could be the new location for Wagner fighters.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Defense Committee in the State Duma (the Russian parliament), Andrei Kartapolov, stated that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the commander of Wagner forces, was informed that his forces would not participate in military operations in Ukraine after he refused to sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Kartapolov said that the Ministry of Defense notified Prigozhin, the founder of Wagner company, of stopping the funding if they refused to conclude a contract with them, adding that Prigozhin refused to comply with the decision.
Deaths of Generals On another note, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the deaths of two Ukrainian generals who were participating in a meeting at Brigade 56 on June 27th.
According to Russia Today website, the “Russian Special Military Operation” report in Ukraine indicated that Russian forces targeted the temporary deployment point of Brigade 56, an independent mechanized brigade affiliated with the Ukrainian forces in Kramatorsk, while two Ukrainian generals were participating in a meeting. 50 Ukrainian soldiers and 20 foreign mercenaries and military advisors were neutralized.
The Russian Ministry of Defense report also stated that units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched offensive operations in the direction of south Donetsk, Krasnoarmiisk, and Donetsk within the past 24 hours.
In a related context, a source in the Russian Ministry of Defense denied to Al Jazeera News the arrest of General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, calling for dealing with official statements only.
The Kremlin stated that it has nothing to add regarding the status of the deputy commander of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, emphasizing that the Ministry of Defense is responsible for this matter.
The Kremlin stressed that Russia’s focus is on achieving the objectives of the special military operation, and it will work towards that.
Earlier, a spokesman for the Kremlin described the news circulated by Western media about Surovikin’s knowledge of the rebellion’s planning as rumors and speculation.
The Kremlin also stated in a statement that the Russian presidency does not have information regarding the whereabouts of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Wagner company.
In response, Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary-General of NATO, stated that he still does not know the final number of Wagner forces in Belarus.
Stoltenberg added, “Wagner’s rebellion indicates a rift within the Russian system, but these matters remain an internal affair of Russia.”
