DW: Opposition representatives believe that in Belarus they create an analogue of the Wagner PMC

On the basis of the Belarusian private security company GardService, they are probably going to form an analogue of the Russian PMC Wagner , writes Deutsche Welle with reference to the member of the United Transition Cabinet of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on defense and national security Valery Sahashchik.

Recently, according to the Sahaler, the number of employees of the Gardervice has grown significantly. Sahaler suggests that now there can be more than a thousand people. “Training and a set of personnel have been lasting several months. The staff were increased at the expense of officers, warrant officers, sergeants and soldiers who served in the forces of special operations and in special units of the law enforcement agencies of Belarus, ”he said.

According to the interlocutor of Deutsche Welle, GardService employees are trained at several Belarusian training grounds. “I know that the officers of the 5th special forces brigade train the GardService employees at their training ground. In addition, the company took the base of the former Dynamo training center, active actions are also taking place there, ”he said.

Sahaler believes that GardService employees can be used in sabotage and reconnaissance groups and assaults following the example of the Russian PMC Wagner.

In the summer of 2022, recalls DW, Belarusian independent media, citing a source at the Gardervice, wrote that mercenaries from Wagner PMC arrived in Minsk to study ChOP employees.

• The private security company GardService was created in June 2020. By decree of Alexander Lukashenko, employees of this ChOP are allowed to wear, store and use service and civilian weapons, as well as special means and physical force "in the manner prescribed by law for militarized protection." “Mardervice” is the only private security company in Belarus, which received the right to use firearms, including pistols, machine guns and sniper rifles.
• The appearance of the “Mardervice”, whose employees can use weapons, were associated with the elections of the President of Belarus in August 2020. The Belarusian CEC announced the winner of the elections of Alexander Lukashenko. The opposition announced numerous falsifications and refused to recognize the results of the elections. In Belarus, protests began, which were brutally crushed.

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