Minsk: Tensions were rising in and around Russia's neighbour Belarus, where the force's exiled leader and some of its fighters were settling in, as life in Russia resumed after an armed uprising by a mercenary group.

To put an end to the uprising that shook the Russian government last weekend, the Kremlin made a deal with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner private military company, that included moving to Belarus.

Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko offered Prigozhin and his fighters asylum in Belarus, claiming that his nation could benefit from their experience and knowledge. This allowed them to avoid prosecution.

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Wagner fighters are "a threat to the Belarusian people and (the country's) independence," according to the opposition and guerilla activists in Belarus, who also promised to take action.

In a phone interview with The Associated Press from outside Belarus, Aliaksandr Azarau, the head of the ex-military guerrilla group BYPOL, said, "We're categorically against stationing Russian mercenaries in Belarus and are preparing a "warm" welcome to Wagnerites in Belarus."

Baltic neighbours have also expressed worries about how this will impact global security. Parliament speakers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania urged the European Union to designate Wagner as a terrorist organisation in a joint statement on Wednesday.

"The emergence of the Wagner mercenary group in Belarus could make the security situation on the eastern borders of NATO and the EU even more precarious," the statement said.

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Wagner fighters can stay in Belarus "for some time" at their own expense, according to Lukashenko, if they don't want to report to the Russian Defence Ministry, which is one of the options Russian President Vladimir Putin has given them.

He claimed to have given them "an abandoned military unit" where they could make camp and vowed to "help with whatever we can."
We are taking a practical approach, according to Lukashenko, who added that if their commanders assist us, we will benefit from their expertise.

He didn't say where the facility was, but Azarau claimed that Belarusian soldiers were engaged in building a site for Wagner mercenaries in Osipovichi, a city located 230 kilometres (142 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.

Residents of the 30,000-person city told AP that the recent events have alarmed them.
Inga, a 43-year-old doctor in Osipovichi, said over the phone: "There's military equipment in the streets and Belarusian servicemen — all residents are discussing the arrival of Wagnerites and, frankly speaking, we're panicking and are not happy about being neighbours with them."

"My daughters are teenagers. The woman, who spoke under the condition that her full identity not be revealed for her safety, asked, "How will we live next to thugs, pardoned murderers, and rapists?"

After agreeing that Prigozhin would put an end to the rebellion and travel to Belarus, the Kremlin pledged not to prosecute him for it. That occurred despite Putin's promise to punish those responsible for what he called treason.

Putin's closest ally, Lukashenko, has permitted Russia to send troops and weapons into Ukraine via Belarus. He has welcomed the deployment of some of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons there as well as the country's continued Russian military presence.

He has, however, made it clear that Prigozhin's soldiers "will not be guarding any nuclear weapons." According to Lukashenko, Prigozhin himself arrived in Belarus on Monday, but it is unclear exactly where he is now.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has downplayed worries that Wagner could pose a threat from Belarus. He added that the Ukrainian military is confident that security along their border will remain "unchanged and controllable," and that the mercenaries are unlikely to travel there in large numbers.

Prigozhin met with Lukashenko several times this week to talk about his force in Belarus, according to Belaruski Hajjun, an independent military monitoring organisation in Belarus.

The Machulishchy Air Base near Minsk is where Prigozhin's private aircraft is stationed. Lukashenko was enraged when guerrillas from Belarus attacked a Russian warplane that was parked there in February.

"Where nonpublic negotiations are taking place with the participation of the entire Lukashenko family," according to Anton Matolka, coordinator of the group, Belaruski Hajjun, confirmed that Lukashenko and Prigozhin met in a residence on the shore of the Zaslavskoye reservoir. Although he didn't go into detail, it is well known that some government activities involve Lukashenko's sons.

BYPOL guerrillas told the AP that they would oppose Wagner fighters stationed in Belarus and "stage acts" of sabotage at mercenary housing facilities.

Azarau declared, "We will actively oppose this, employing all options."
Due to the Wagner forces, NATO members Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, who share a 1,250-kilometer (775-mile) border with Belarus, said they will increase security along the border.

Wagner fighters in Belarus, according to exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhnaouskaya, pose a threat to the sovereignty of the nation. She mentioned that it's happening in advance of the NATO summit in Vilnius later this month.

According to Tsikhanouskaya, "Prigozhin's presence in Belarus is an illustration of how our country turned into a haven for tyrants and nuclear threats."

Analysts contend that Lukahsenko is attempting to gain more funding and loans from the Kremlin in exchange for his role in saving Russia from the uprising.

"Lukashenko is a very experienced player, and he will ask Putin to pay for a favour he did for the Kremlin with new loans and economic concessions," predicted Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich to the Associated Press.

According to Karbalevich, "the Kremlin and Prigozhin... used Belarus as part of their deal and painlessly exiled the troublemaker there."
Prigozhin's presence in Belarus, in his opinion, may allow Lukashenko to "tickle Putin's nerves," but a long-term alliance between them is unlikely.
Lukashenko dislikes surprises and risks, as Prigozhin demonstrated, according to Karbalevich.

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Wagner fighters will be moved and housed in small batches, "with lots of caution and under strict control from Belarusian security services," Karbalevich said. Lukashenko has been cautious throughout the Ukraine War.