National Resistance Center: Wagner convoys head to Russia after fatal crash

In the aftermath of the plane crash that allegedly killed Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, convoys of Wagner fighters are departing Belarus and heading to Russia, the National Resistance Center reported on Aug. 23.

Sources in Belarus said that some Wagner base camps were being dismantled the evening of Aug. 23, and that members of the private military group were forming convoys to leave the country.

"The convoys are likely heading towards the border with Russia," the Center said.

According to the Center's sources in Belarus, the Belarusian government did not authorize the mercenary group's withdrawal. Belarusian special services are reportedly trying to intercept the convoys at the border.

Read also: Kyiv, Moscow’s opposing attitudes toward Soviet past shape two different futures

Earlier on Aug. 23, Russian media announced that a private plane bearing Prigozhin had crashed in Russia's Tver Oblast, killing all aboard.

Following Prigozhin's brief uprising against the Kremlin in June, the Wagner Group established base camps in Belarus and formalized a collaboration with the Belarusian Defense Ministry.

Since then, Wagner's status in Russia has been shrouded in ambiguity. A report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on July 14 said that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin hoped to keep Wagner fighters in Russia, but under a new commander.

We’ve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.