Former mercenaries of the Wagner PMC, who were in Belarus, signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry and moved to the eastern direction of the front in Ukraine. Some of the militants went to Africa, said Ilya Yevlash, a spokesman for the Eastern Military Group.

"They do not pose such a threat as they did, for example, a year ago due to the loss of their main leader Yevheniy Prigozhyn," he added.

The Border Guard Service clarified that there were more than 6,000 Wagnerites in Belarus. Currently, according to Demchenko, about 500 militants remain in Belarus.

Earlier, the aerial reconnaissance operator of the Code 9.2 unit of the 92nd Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a comment to CNN that Wagnerites had returned to the Bakhmut area.

@liveukraine_media