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Satellite image of the Wagner camp in June: Many tents have now been dismantled

Photo: Planet Labs PBC / AP / dpa

The uprising of the Wagner mercenaries came to a quick end during the march to Moscow in June. The fighters, previously deployed in the Ukraine war, went to Belarus and set up camp in the abandoned military base near the town of Tsel, about 90 kilometers southeast of the capital Minsk. The Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko had apparently offered this to the Wagner Group. But now, about three weeks after the death of their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, some mercenaries seem to be leaving the camp.

This is what the camp looked like at the end of June, shortly after the mercenaries had set up their tents there:

What does the Wagner Group do?

Now the news agency Reuters and Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty report that new satellite images from the company Planet Labs are supposed to show changes. The dismantling of the camp is apparently underway, they say. In the course of August and until September 9, according to the photos, 160 of the 273 residential tents were dismantled, reports Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, citing the photos. Assuming that 20 people could live in one tent, about 3000,<> fighters would no longer have a place to stay in the camp, they say.

It is unclear what the reason for the dismantling is. In addition, it is not known where the fighters have moved on, if they have actually left the camp, and whether they will now continue to fight in the Ukraine war.

Apparently anti-aircraft system destroyed – Zelensky speaks of triumph

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address that Ukrainian forces had destroyed an anti-aircraft system in Russian-occupied Crimea. He thanked the Ukrainian secret service and the navy and spoke of a "triumph". The Reuters news agency had also previously reported on the damage to the anti-aircraft system, citing intelligence circles. Russia did not initially confirm the reports.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have ordered evacuations in the Kherson region in the south of the country. The Regional Defense Council has decided that families with children must be evacuated from places "under constant enemy fire," Governor Oleksandr Prokudin writes on Telegram. The Kherson region is partly controlled by Russian forces and regularly bombed.

Klitschkos promote Taurus deliveries

In Berlin, the Klitschko brothers once again appealed for German support for Ukraine's defensive fight against Russia in the form of Taurus cruise missiles. "There are an enormous number of people on the front line, many soldiers that we are losing. And only with superior weapons – such as Taurus missiles – and their use can we hit Russia's command points from a distance and, of course, protect our men," said Wladimir Klitschko, the brother of the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, during the brothers' opening speech at the summer party of the "Bild" newspaper. Vitali Klitschko expressed his gratitude for the German help.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who was also present, did not respond to the demand. Members of the traffic light coalition had recently increased pressure on Scholz to clear the way for the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles. Scholz has always been cautious about this – probably because he wants to rule out attacks on Russian territory for which Russia could retaliate.

ptz/dpa/Reuters