Iran Press/ Europe: The images provided by Planet Labs PLC suggest that dozens of tents have been erected within the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a town 142 miles north of the Ukrainian border.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus last week after Minsk helped broker a deal to end what appeared to be an armed insurrection by the mercenary group in Russia.
Up to 8,000 fighters from Wagner's private military force may be deployed in Belarus, a Ukraine’s border force spokesman told Ukrainian media on Saturday.
Wagner chief agrees to exile in Belarus
Lukashenko has previously allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine.
He also declared that he was “sure” Belarus would not have to use the nuclear weapons deployed to its territory and would not get directly involved in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Although the offer of exile in Belarus might have strengthened Lukashenko's hand with Putin, Prigozhin's presence in his country presents a significant long-term risk if accompanied by a significant number of battle-hardened Wagner fighters.
This has led to a raft of conspiracy theories as to Prigozhin's actual role in Belarus.
Notwithstanding Prigozhin's apparent betrayal, Putin still needs mercenary fighters; they have proved vital to Russian battlefield success.
However, he will want to "weed out" those fighters loyal to Prigozhin and bring the remainder under closer control of the Russian Ministry of defence to minimize the threat of a further coup.
Also, offering fighters the opportunity to join Prigozhin in Belarus is a relatively simple way to identify those loyal to the mercenary leader, easing the process of purging Prigozhin loyalists.
Although Prigozhin is probably grateful for the opportunity afforded him by Lukashenko, he must also be aware that Putin has broader ambitions to subjugate Belarus, and there is potential that Prigozhin could prove a useful asset for Putin when required - perhaps as a way back into the Moscow fold.
It is possible that Putin, having expunged the direct threat posed by Prigozhin, will coerce him into mounting operations against the Ukrainian capital Kyiv from Belarus territory.
Kyiv is significantly closer to Belarus than Russia, which would provide a significant logistical advantage to the attacking force.
The extraordinary events of last weekend have left more questions than answers, and we simply do not know precisely what will happen next.
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