Ukraine Recap: Wagner’s Belarus Shift Sets Off Alarms in Poland

(Bloomberg) -- Potential Wagner Group militia camps in Belarus prompted alarm in Poland, which said it will send 500 extra police officers to its border with the Russian ally. In St. Petersburg, Russian authorities took computers and servers at a company linked to Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin as the Kremlin seeks to take over his social-media and mercenary empire, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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Prigozhin’s private jet reportedly landed in Minsk on Saturday from St. Petersburg, according to the Institute for the Study of War, which cited public flight tracking data. Satellite images show hundreds of large tents set up over the past week in Belarus about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of the Ukrainian border, according to Associated Press.

Ukrainian forces advanced toward Bakhmut, a military spokesman said. Russia is likely pulling forces from elsewhere toward Bakhmut, according to ISW.

Ukraine’s air defense said it downed eight Shahed drones and three Kalibr missiles launched by Russia overnight, including the first attempted strike on Kyiv in almost two weeks. Zelenskiy visited Odesa on Sunday to review naval capabilities.

The Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine has had a “corrosive” effect on President Vladimir Putin’s regime and Russian society, Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said Saturday. “Disaffection with the war will continue to gnaw away at the Russian leadership,” the CIA head said in a lecture at Britain’s Ditchley Foundation.

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