UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 525 – JULY 31, 2023

The Wagner Group could replace the Russian military as the most important training partner of the Belarusian military.

The Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced on July 30 that Wagner personnel conducted training at the company level with unspecified elements of several Belarusian mechanized brigades. The training included tactical maneuvers for dismounted infantry and focused on camouflaging troops from enemy drones and coordinating between companies, platoons, and squads. Reports also indicated that Belarusian infantry conducted a combined attack with tank and artillery support as part of the training.

The new role of the Wagner Group in training Belarusian companies is significant. The Belarusian military typically conducts such exercises with Russian trainers and relies on Russian planners for exercises involving multiple brigades, which the ISW had not seen the Wagner Group participate in before. The ISW has already observed Wagner personnel training with a Belarusian airborne brigade, which traditionally trains with the Russian 76th Airborne Division (VDV), and predicts that the Wagner Group may try to replace existing relationships between Russian and Belarusian units.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified a law on July 31 increasing fines for mobilizers or conscripts who do not appear at a military registration and enlistment office after being summoned.

Kremlin-appointed children's rights ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova confirmed on July 31 that since the beginning of the war, Russia has transferred 4.8 million Ukrainians, including over 700,000 children, to the Russian Federation, likely constituting a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The full Russian Offensive Update 525 is available directly from UNDERSTANDING WAR.

UNDERSTANDING WAR