MINSK, July 29. /TASS/: Russian citizens apprehended in Belarus are employees of the "Wagner Private Military Company," BelTA state news agency reports, citing law enforcement agencies of the republic.
According to the news agency, 32 people, whom BelTA calls private military company employees, were apprehended in a holiday center in Belarus Wednesday; one more man was detained in southern Belarus, the report says. An inspection into the apprehended is underway.
According to the report, the group arrived in Minsk early on July 25, and settled in one of the Minsk District holiday centers on July 27. They were spotted for their military-style clothing and "behavior, uncharacteristic of Russian tourists." The guests drank no alcohol, visited no entertainment venues and stayed detached.
The news agency claims that the law enforcement agencies received a tip about arrival of over 200 "militants" who allegedly sought to destabilize the situation ahead of the August 9 presidential election.
BelTA published a list of the names of the detained. The sate-run Belarus-1 TV channel aired footage of the Russian citizens’ apprehension.
Currently, TASS has no comments either from the Russian side, or from the Belarusian law enforcement agencies.
