On Eve of Wargames, Minsk Rejects NATO States’ Call to Expel Wagner Fighters

With Moscow-led war games about to kick off in Belarus, Minsk rejects calls by its NATO-aligned neighbors to send Wagner fighters back to Russia. 

Helicopters fly above servicemen running to positions during the joint Russian–Belarusian military exercises Zapad-2017 (West-2017) at a training ground near the town of Borisov on Sept. 20, 2017. Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images

Belarus has rejected demands by Poland and the three Baltic States—Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—to expel Wagner Group fighters from its territory.

“They [Poland and the Baltic States] went so far as to demand the immediate withdrawal [of Wagner fighters] from Belarus,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was quoted as saying by Belarusian news agency BelTa on Aug. 31.