MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2020) Valery Vakulchik, the head of the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB), said on Wednesday that the Russians detained near Minsk belonged to private military company Wagner.
Earlier in the day, Belta reported, citing a unnamed law enforcement official, that the 33 persons, who had been detained on suspicion of planning to destabilize the situation in the country ahead of the presidential vote, were Russians. The detention took place on the night into Wednesday. Thirty-two "militants from the Wagner Group paramilitary organization" were detained near the Belarusian capital of Minsk, and one more person was detained in the south of the country, Belta reported. At the same time, according to the report, earlier information was received about the arrival in Belarus of "more than 200 militants to destabilize the situation during the election campaign." On Wednesday evening, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called an urgent meeting with members of the country's Security Council in connection with this detention.
"At about 5:30 a.m. [2:30 GMT] ... 32 Russian citizens, members of a paramilitary organization, Wagner private military company, were detained near Minsk," Vakulchik told Lukashenko during the meeting.
Lukashenko asked whether it was "absolutely certain that the detainees are part of Wagner company."
Vakulchik answered in the affirmative.
