The private military company Wagner will not set up centers in Belarus to recruit personnel. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the relevant statement during the ceremony held on 27 June to present shoulder boards to high-ranking officers as he talked about details of his negotiations with the head of the Russian private military company Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin on 24 June, BelTA has learned.
BelTA reported earlier that Belarus is ready to help accommodate PMC Wagner fighters in the country if necessary. Wagner's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is in Belarus now. However, it does not mean that PMC Wagner's recruitment centers will open in Belarus.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “If someone wanted to serve in PMC Wagner… By the way, there is one. Dmitry. He mentioned the name to me. One of Wagner's top-ranking officers. He is ours. A Belarusian. Former military. He said he serves well. We cannot tie him up. We will not be able to stop anyone [from joining PMC Wagner]. If you want to earn a lot of money… But you have to understand that every day you will sleep with death. And with an assault rifle as a pillow.”
“This is why there is no need to open any centers to recruit personnel for PMC Wagner. I don't think there will ever be any. I believe that right now we don't need to open any recruitment centers and there will be none. If someone wants to join PMC Wagner, they will find a way,” the president stated.
