Analog of Wagner PMC was formed in Belarus — media

The private security company "GuardService," which Oleksandr Lukashenko allowed to have firearms, is preparing to participate in hostilities.

The representative of the United Transitional Cabinet of the exiled oppositionist Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya from Defense and National Security, Valery Sahashchyk, reported this in a commentary for Deutsche Welle.

According to his information, "GuardService" has increased the number of employees several times, and its staff has been training for several months.

Sahashchyk believes that "GuardService" personnel are being trained to participate in combat operations, and training is being conducted at several Belarusian training grounds.

"I know that the officers of the 5th brigade of special forces (based in Marjina Horka, Minsk region – ed.) train the employees of "GuardService" at their training ground. In addition, the company took over the base of the former "Dynamo" special training center; active actions are also taking place there," he said.

According to him, the number of employees has increased significantly recently. Sahashchyk suggests that there may be more than a thousand of them now.

"The training and recruitment of personnel have been going on for several months. The staff has been increased by officers, ensigns, sergeants, and soldiers who served in special operations forces and special units of the law enforcement agencies of Belarus," he said.

The interlocutor of DW believes that "GuardService" employees can be used in sabotage and intelligence groups and then for assaults.

Sahashchyk assures that russian president vladimir putin has invested a "very serious sum" in "GuardService" and is creating a "Belarusian analog of Wagner" from it.

The media outlet reminds that in the summer of 2022, information from an anonymous employee of "GuardService" appeared in the independent media, who claimed that at the end of July-August mercenaries from the "Wagner" PMC arrived in Minsk to train employees of a private security company. The source noted that there were about half a thousand people in "GuardService" at that time and that, according to rumors, employees were promised a business trip and a salary of about 3,700 euros in the future.

Reference

The private security company "GuardService" appeared in Belarus in June 2020. At the same time, Lukashenko, by personal decree, allowed his employees to carry, store and use official and civilian weapons, as well as special means and physical force.

According to DW, "GuardService" has a high level of secrecy; only "vetted" people can get there.

A special training center was put at the company's disposal, where special forces from Belarus and other countries, primarily African and South American, previously trained.

In 2021, the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs published lists of weapons owned by GuardService. It included pistols, submachine guns, and sniper rifles.