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Presence of PMC Wagner in Belarus poses no direct threat to EU — Latvian prime minister

The Latvian prime minister stressed the need to strengthen border security in this regard to keep the situation under control

BRUSSELS, June 29. /TASS/. The deployment of the PMC Wagner in Belarus poses no direct military threat to the European Union, but it could lead to the infiltration of fighters into EU countries for unknown purposes, Latvia’s Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said on Thursday ahead of an EU summit.

"Of course, we are watching with apprehension what is happening in Belarus and is related to [Yevgeny] Prigozhin and the unknown number of well-trained skilled soldiers who will presumably join him. Potentially this is fraught with a threat. The threat may not be a direct or military one, but [there would be] a risk of an attempt to penetrate Europe for unknown purposes," he said.

The Latvian prime minister stressed the need to strengthen border security in this regard to keep the situation under control.

On the evening of June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the PMC Wagner, said on his Telegram channel that his units had been attacked, and accused the military leadership of Russia. The Defense Ministry dismissed these allegations as false. PMC Wagner units who agreed to support Prigozhin headed for Rostov-on-Don and towards Moscow. The FSB opened a case over the call for armed mutiny. Russian President Vladimir Putin in a televised address described the PMC Wagner’s actions as treason.

Later, by agreement with Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held talks with Prigozhin. The PMC Wagner’s convoys turned back and returned to the field camps. The criminal proceedings over the attempted armed mutiny were terminated, the FSB said.

Later, Lukashenko said that he had offered Prigozhin to use one of the abandoned military garrisons in Belarus for the PMC Wagner’s field camp. He also promised him complete security and the relocation of PMC forces to Belarus.

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