NATO ready to face threat from Wagner in Belarus Secretary General says

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently warned the alliance was prepared to defend itself against threats from Moscow and Minsk after a deal to end an armed revolt in Russia landed Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his fighters in Belarus. 

Stoltenberg was asked during a press conference about his concerns on the news that Prigozhin, and an unknown number of his mercenary fighters, could soon be based out of Belarus and if he could alleviate any fears of the alliance’s eastern flank members. 

Without missing a beat, the secretary general said it was still too early to understand the risk posed by Prigozhin’s exile in Belarus but also made it clear the alliance would meet any threat posed by the Wagner Group’s relocation closer to the alliance's eastern flank. 

“It's too early to make any final judgment about the consequences of the fact that Prigozhin has moved to Belarus, and that most likely also some of his forces will also be located in Belarus,” Stoltenberg told reporters. 

“But we will monitor and we will ensure that we always are ready to protect and defend every NATO Ally, and especially those Allies which are border countries to Belarus,” the secretary general continued.

Stoltenberg also said member states would agree to strengthen the alliance's defenses on its eastern borders at its upcoming July 11th summit in Lithuania, at which all of the alliance's 31 member states will meet to discuss the upcoming challenges they face. 

“We have already increased our military presence in the eastern part of the alliance and we will make further decisions to further strengthen our collective defense with more high-readiness forces and more capabilities at the upcoming summit,” Stoltenberg said. 

“We have the readiness, we have the forces, we have the plans. And we have the commitment and resolve to deploy what is necessary… to protect every inch of NATO territory,” Stoltenberg added.

The Guardian noted NATO originally responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by deploying a number of multinational battlegroups to its borders, which included countries in the east like Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, in a show of force to Vladimir Putin.

Stoltenberg’s comments came on the heels of worry among many of the alliance’s eastern allies that Prigozhin’s move to Belarus could pose serious security risks for the area, and several of the alliance’s Eastern European members have publicly expressed their concerns. 

“If Wagner deploys its serial killers in Belarus,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausedaall explained at the same press conference at which Stoltenberg had spoken, “neighboring countries face [an] even greater danger of instability,” and Nausedaall wasn’t alone. 

Polish President Andrzej Duda also shared his worry about the risks posed by Prigozhin and his move to Belarus, saying: “This is really serious and very concerning, and we have to make very strong decisions. It requires a very, very tough answer [from] Nato.”

Hopefully, that answer comes soon since a reconstituted Wagner Group could pose a serious risk to peace and stability in the region as tensions continue to rise with Belarus and the country’s dictatorial leader Alexander Lukashenko. 

Regardless of what actions NATO has planned to strengthen its eastern borders, states bordering Belarus have already begun enhancing their own border security in the face of the potential threats posed by Prigozhin and his merry band of Russian mercenaries. 

Euronews reported on June 26th that Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia agreed to coordinate control measures at border crossings with Russia and Belarus, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced plans to station 4000 troops in Lithuania.   

Prigozhin was exiled to Belarus as part of the deal struck with Putin to end his rebellion against leaders in Moscow in exchange for having the charges against himself and the fighters who took part in his failed mutiny against Moscow dropped, according to NPR.