Despite the radically destabilising impact of the Wagner Group’s attempted coup yesterday, it may not spell victory for Ukraine in their ongoing conflict against Russia, after a top British military chief warned that hardened mercenaries may now attack Kyiv from Belarus.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner, was yesterday exiled to Belarus as part of a deal to end his insurrection against the Kremlin.
Former chief of the UK General Staff Lord Dannatt warned that if Prigozhin has taken his forces with him to Belarus, Kyiv may be in grave peril.
Lord Dannatt told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: “Apparently he’s left the stage to go to Belarus but is that the end of Prigozhin and the Wagner Group? The fact that he’s gone to Belarus is I think a matter of some concern.
“What we don’t know, what we will discover in the next hours and days is… how many of his fighters have actually gone with him.
“If he has gone to Belarus and has kept an effective fighting force around him, he then presents a threat again to the Ukrainian flank closest to Kyiv which is where all this began on February 24 last year.
“Although it would appear that this matter is closed I think it is far from closed and the aftershocks will reverberate for quite some time.
“They (Ukraine) need to watch that flank very carefully and make sure they have got some manoeuvre units such that they could repel a renewed attack from the direction of Belarus.”
Exiled Wagner chief ‘could attack Kyiv from Belarus’ warns British general
