According to U.S. experts, speculation about the possible withdrawal of the Wagner Group from Belarus suggests that the agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin may have failed.
According to the U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW), it was claimed by a Russian informant on Tuesday that the Wagner mercenaries would withdraw from Belarus. The first phase of this withdrawal has already begun, while the second is scheduled to start this weekend, reports the German news platform n-tv.de.
The insider and a source connected to the Wagner Group speculated, according to the U.S. Institute, that the Wagner units were leaving Belarus because the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, had refused to fund Wagner after learning that Russia would not make payments for Wagner.
Image: kremlin.ru, 2018 inauguration of Vladimir Putin 53, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)