Satellite Photos Show Massive Military Buildup in Wagner Camp

Satellite images reportedly show a large Wagner Group camp being built near a Belarusian town not far from the Ukrainian border.

On Monday, the Ukrainian news outlet Euromaidan Press shared the satellite images from Maxar Technologies on Twitter. The pictures show the site near the town of Osipovichi when it was nearly empty and before Wagner began setting up there, as well as a more recent photo of multiple structures at the camp.

Wagner's presence in Belarus has been building since the mercenary group's failed uprising last month. That rebellion began on June 23 when Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said Russia's military had killed about 30 of his troops in a missile strike and ordered his men to march on Moscow. But the mutiny proved to be brief, ending the day after it began.

Peace was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, with the agreement that Kremlin charges filed against Prigozhin would be dropped if he agreed to go into exile in Belarus.

On Saturday, a large Wagner convoy crossed into Belarus from Russia, according to the Belarusian independent monitoring group Belaruski Hajun. At least 60 vehicles were part of the Wagner contingent that entered Belarus with police accompaniment.

Belaruski Hajun said the convoy made its way to Osipovichi, which is approximately 142 miles north of the Ukrainian border. The Associated Press previously reported that satellite images showed tent-like structures were being constructed in the area in June.

Euromaidan Press' tweet about the alleged Wagner base said Belaruski Hajun information indicated that "more than 100 units of military equipment have already arrived at the camp near Osipovichi."

The AP also reported that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Center for National Resistance said about 240 Wagner fighters and "a large amount of weapons" had arrived in Osipovichi. These numbers could not be independently verified by Newsweek.

Before the convoy's arrival, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said last Friday that it reached an agreement with the Wagner Group to conduct joint training exercises with Wagner and military personnel from Belarus.

Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus via email for comment.

Meanwhile, Prigozhin's whereabouts are not known, and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov recently said Russia is not concerned about the Wagner boss's location.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington, D.C., wrote last week that Russian military bloggers have been circulating a picture on social media that shows Prigozhin sitting inside a tent.

Though Lukashenko had recently told the media that Prigozhin was in Russia, the image has led to speculation that Prigozhin is either en route to or has taken up shelter at a Belarusian military camp.