Profile picture
, 281 tweets, 115 min read
My Authors
Read all threads
Belarus' Belta reports that 32 Russian Wagner private military contractors were detained last night near Minsk. Belarusian law enforcement say they received information that >200 Wagner contractors arrived to destabilize Belarus during the election.
belta.by/incident/view/…
Belta reports that the group arrived in Belarus on July 24-25 and checked into a hotel in Minsk and then moved to a sanatorium. Belta's sources say that each man had hand luggage and 3 large suitcases. They were arrested by the Belarusian KGB's Alfa group and an OMON unit. 2/
Here is the list of 33 Russian citizens who were detained by the Belarusian security services. 32 were detained near Minsk and one was detained in southern Belarus. 3/
Screenshots of the arrest of the alleged Russian Wagner private military contractors in Belarus. 4/
t.me/milinfolive/61…
Video of the arrest of the alleged Russian Wagner private military contractors near Minsk by the Belarusian KGB’s Alfa group. 5/
t.me/infantmilitari…
Screenshots from the video. The patches are similar to what Russian private military contractors wear. Also note the US Dollars. A lot of the gear, including shemaghs, are normal for people who have fought in MENA. 6/
The War Gonzo Telegram channel is saying that Minsk has been used as a intermediate stop for Wagner contractors flying to MENA (mostly Libya) during COVID-19 and that Lukashenko personally approved of this and knew of their presence. 7/
t.me/Army_Russia/86…
They say that Belarusian security services were aware of the presence of Wagner contractors, and that Belarus was used because it was less affected by COVID-19 during much of this time (also probably why they waited there for more than a week). 8/
This is a plausible explanation. And thus Lukashenko may have decided to roll this group up to show that he is standing up to Russia during the election campaign (which isn't going very well) and to try to unite voters behind him. 9/
According to the Ukrainian site Myrotvorets, which tracks combatants who fought in Ukraine, three of the detained Russians fought in the Donbass. 10/
vk.com/milinfolive?w=…
Myrotvorets has a fourth name from the group, Maksim Koshman. 11/
vk.com/milinfolive?z=…
The War Gonzo Telegram account is also saying that none of the Wagner contractors were armed, further adding doubt that they were intending to do something in Belarus. And their equipment/outfits certainly indicated that they were likely going to MENA. 12/
t.me/wargonzo/3105
In addition, Wagner is currently heavily involved in Libya, and it is increasingly likely that a large battle will occur in the city of Sirte in the near future. These contractors arrested in Belarus may have been much needed reinforcements. 13/
So apparently some of the cash seized was Sudanese, which could indicate that Sudan was their ultimate destination. 14/
5 days ago Lukashenko said, "State Secretary Andrei Ravkov was right when he said that all modern wars begin with street protests, rallies and Maidan-type revolutions. If there are not enough people here to take part in such revolutions, they will bring them from abroad." 15/
"These are professional military, gangsters who are specially trained, mostly as part of private military companies all over the world and they make big money from staging provocations in various states,” 16/
president.gov.by/en/news_en/vie…
Reportedly, 16 of the 33 Russians detained by Belarus are on the Myrotvorets list of people who fought in Ukraine (h/t @666_mancer). 17/
Ukraine's former Foreign Minister, Pavlo Klimkin, says that Ukraine should ask for the extradition of any of the detained Wagner contractors who fought in the Donbass for trial and possibly for a prisoner swap. 18/
Russia's embassy in Belarus said that they have not received any official notification from Belarusian authorities about the detention of Russian citizens, and they have requested information from Belarus. 19/
20/
21/
During the emergency meeting of his security council, Lushenko said, “I've invited you to look into the matter of this, one can say, emergency that happened this night. There is no other word for it.” 22/
eng.belta.by/president/view…
Lukashenko continued, “I've been looking at how the Russians respond to it. As they make excuses, they go nearly as far as saying we've brought them here on our own. It is clear they need to justify their dirty intentions in some manner." 23/
"We should contact Russian mass media, including Telegram, so that they wouldn't talk rubbish as Putin says. If they are guilty, it is necessary to find a decent way out of this situation. If they are not guilty, we have no intention of besmirching a friendly country." 24/
Kommersant has information on 3 of the Russians who were detained. A Fyodor Mikhailovich Sergeev from Astrakhan with the same birth date is in the Mirotvorets database and has a profile on Odnoklassniki. He previously served in the Internal Troops. 25/
kommersant.ru/doc/4434527
Most of his profile is devoted to the war in the Donbass. A Takhir Minigayanovich Bakhtigaraev is also in the Myrotvorets database and reportedly served as driver-mechanic in the Wagner's 4th Reconnaissance and Assault Company. 26/
The 3rd mentioned by Kommersant is Andrey Petrovich Bakunovich. There are earlier articles about a sniper from the 201st Military Base stationed in Tajikistan with the same name who reportedly received the Order of Courage award for his service in Debaltseve in 2015. 27/
Bakunovich was reportedly born in Belarus and is a Belarusian and Russian citizen. He was the commander of a group of Wagner snipers. 28/
naviny.belsat.eu/ru/news/beloru…
The head of the Belarusian KGB, Valery Vakulchik, told the security council that he was absolutely certain the 32 Russians arrested near Minsk were from the Wagner PMC. 29/
t.me/infantmilitari…
Obviously it is early and we don't have all the facts, but it seems highly likely the arrest of these 33 Russian Wagner contractors has more to do with domestic Belarusian politics and the election than it does with foreign interference. 30/
It appears none of them were armed; they were rolling around in a group of 30 wearing tactical gear, packs, and apparel (i.e. quite conspicuous); they were reportedly keeping to themselves and not hitting the bars or casinos; and weren't dressed to fit in in Minsk. 31/
Hard to imagine such a group would think they would go unnoticed by the security services. Plus, intervening before the election would be a risky move considering that Lukashenko will still likely survive the election and he's better than the alternatives for Moscow. 32/
This arrest has clearly left Moscow surprised. If they were actually trying to destabilize Belarus, they wouldn't be caught as flat-footed as they appear here and they would likely have courses of action and forces ready to respond. There's no indication that is true here. 33/
Everything about the demeanor, actions, and dress of the group detained in Belarus indicates that they were traveling through. It also indicates that they knew the Belarusian security services knew they were in Belarus and that they were allowed to be there. 34/
So the War Gonzo explanation that Minsk has been serving as a transit hub for Wagner during COVID-19 to travel to North Africa makes sense. And Wagner is currently very busy in Libya with an expected battle for Sirte over the coming weeks. 35/
If that is true, I suspect Belarus will release or PNG these Wagner contractors soon after the election. But this action also makes it less likely that Russia would come to Lukashenko's aid if the protests continue. 36/
Another video of the arrest of the Wagner contractors by Belarusian KGB Alfa officers. 37/
Another video of Belarusian KGB Alfa officers arresting the Russian Wagner private military contractors. The video also shows the identities of many of the arrested individuals. 38/
The PMC-linked account RSOTM is claiming that the arrested figures in Belarus aren’t just Russian and they belong to the Mar PMSC. They were just traveling through Belarus and were suppposed to fly to Turkey before flying elsewhere in the Middle East. 39/
t.me/grey_zone/3948
A better look at the "Our business is death and business is going well" and a Jolly Roger patch. 40/
And screenshots of their passports. 41/
Passport and other photos of the private military contractors. 42/
Passport and other photos of the private military contractors. 43/
Passport and other photos of the private military contractors. 44/
Passport and other photos of the private military contractors. 45/
Passport photos of the private military contractors. 46/
Passport photos of the private military contractors. 47/
Passport photos of the private military contractors. 48/
Passport photos of the private military contractors. 49/
Passport photos of the private military contractors. 50/
So the RSOTM Telegram page also claims that the contractors were headed to Turkey where they were going to fly to Libya (either Tripoli or Misrata) to guard an oil facility for the Turkish-backed GNA. 51/
@YorukIsik has tracked a few military transport aircraft flights from Minsk to MENA. 52/
So there is a video of the Mar PMSC, whose members are reportedly the ones arrested in Belarus, that shows some of their training, which is not particularly impressive. 53/
The second half of that training video with the Mar PMSC. 54/
t.me/sashakots/14734
Aric has a good thread with additional information about the detained private military contractors in Belarus. 55/
The logo of the Mar PMC from its website which doesn't appear to work anymore. 56/
chvk-mar.ru/en/
Russia's Pravda says that, according to informed Belarusian sources, the detained Russians belong to the Mar and not Wagner PMC and that Artyom Milyaev was responsible for recruitment. 57/
pravda.ru/news/world/151…
Voennoye RF did an interview with the founder of the Mar PMC, Alexei Marushchenko, in September 2015. He said there weren't PMCs in Russia, but compared Mar to the RBS Group PMC, which was based in Russia as a security company. 58/
военное.рф/2015/205698/
Marushchenko said he took part in the annexation of Crimea and then formed Mar in the fall of 2014. He said his group was operating in war zones (though not the Donbass even though he said he was ready to help) primarily to deliver cargo and escort humanitarian convoys. 59/
*He said his group wasn't fighting in the Donbass but they were helping evacuate people from there and conduct investigations. He said he had 70 people in his PMC in the Donbass in September 2015, who were almost all former military servicemen and were at least 26-years old. 60/
Marushchenko said he was a senior lieutenant in the reserves at the time and said the Russian government neither helped nor hindered his operations in the Donbass. He also said his mother was from Ukraine, whereas his father is from Russia. 61/
He was asked if a Donbass-type situation occurred in Belarus or Kazakhstan whether he would take part. He said he would but didn't think such a situation would occur, specifically saying that Lukashenko would not allow that to happen. 62/
63/
The Russian Ambassador to Belarus, Dmitry Mezentsev, said the 33 Russians individuals detained in Belarus were just transiting through the country, and that they moved to the sanatorium because they missed their flight on July 25 to Istanbul. 64/
kommersant.ru/doc/4435182?fr…
65/
The Investigative Committee of Belarus said the 33 Russians were detained on suspicion of preparing mass riots. Belarusian authorities are also searching for the other 170 Russian private military contractors whom they say are in Belarus. 66/
kommersant.ru/doc/4434992
When the arrest of the 33 was announced, Belarusian sources told Belta that more than 200 were suspected of being in Belarus. Zakhar Prilepin said that they were supposed to fly out of Minsk today and that other members of their group may have already left. 67/
Russia's ambassador to Belarus, Dmitry Mezentsev, also said, "the Russian citizens may be employees of a private security company, contracted with protection of energy infrastructure and resources abroad - not in Belarus." 68/
tass.com/emergencies/11…
And that the Russians were in Belarus because of "a contract, signed with one of commercial companies, registered here in Belarus," adding that "each of them had a labor contract with this company." 69/
The State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, Andrey Ravkov, said the Russians were arrested on suspicion of “the preparation of terrorist acts” and that some of the captured men confessed to trying to orchestrate a revolution. 70/
reuters.com/article/us-bel…
Belarusian authorities say they believe the husband of opposition presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanouskaya may have ties to the Russian group and have launched a criminal case against him on suspicion of inciting riots, Belta news agency reported. 71/
reuters.com/article/us-bel…
72/
The War Gonzo Telegram channel says that the first batch of Russian private military contractors flew out of Minsk a week ago. The second batch was the group that was arrested. 73/
t.me/wargonzo/3119
The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement calls Belarus' characterization of the events "odious." It says a Belarusian company took care of the logistics and the group was transiting through Belarus to fly to Istanbul with all necessary documents. 74/
mid.ru/ru/foreign_pol…
The Russian MFA's statement says the group missed its flight for unknown reasons and was waiting while the Belarusian company booked tickets for a new flight. It says the Belarusian authorities, including aviation officials, have all the documents to determine what happened. 75/
Real chef's kiss moment if this was the plane that flew the first group of Russian private military contractors. 76/
So Komsomolskaya Pravda did an interview with the founder of the Mar PMC, Alexei Marushchenko. Mar was reportedly the 1st PMC to be registered in St. Petersburg in 2014, but it disappeared in 2018. Marushchenko confirms that it no longer exists. 77/
spb.kp.ru/daily/217162/4…
Marushchenko says he is retired from the PMC world and has no involvement with the Russians detained in Belarus, nor does he know any of them. He also thinks they were just transiting through Belarus to fly somewhere else. 78/
Honestly, if Russia intended to interfere in an election in Belarus, a strategically very important neighbor, they wouldn't rely on private military contractors. That would be an obvious job for its well-funded intelligence services. 79/
80/
According to the Investigative Committee of Belarus' Alexander Agafonov, of the Russians who were detained, 11 said they were flying to Venezuela, 15 to Turkey, 2 to Cuba, 1 to Syria, 1 who didn't know where he was going, and 3 refused to say anything. 81/
tass.ru/mezhdunarodnay…
The Russian embassy's Kirill Pletnev: "I would like to point out that it (the Belarusian detention order) refers to willful acts by a group of people colluding with Tikhanovsky and Statkevich, which, in our view, is a far-fetched position," 82/
tass.com/world/1184799
Lukashenko: "I see our older brothers have fallen silent. They are no longer shouting that they sent these guys to Istanbul...It is clear that this group had other objectives. And the task of the investigation is to figure out these objectives." 83/
president.gov.by/ru/news_ru/vie…
Lukashenko added, "They (the detained Russian PMC contractors) are, of course, guilty" but he said they are "soldiers" who were following orders. He said they shouldn't be treated harshly and instead should focus on who sent them. 84/
In contrast to other reports that the group detained was the last batch transiting through Belarus, Lukashenko said, "My understanding is that this is only the first group of 180 or 200 people that was planned to be transferred to Belarus" 85/
Lukashenko said that in Belarus only the President can authorize Russian military personnel to travel to the country, whether with or without military equipment. He said no one gave permission and that they have serious suspicions about the Russian group's objectives. 86/
The War Gonzo Telegram channel says that its sources in the Russian SVR, Belarusian security services, and Wagner, say that Belarusian SOF, including the KGB Alfa unit that arrested the 33 Russians, have been providing security for Chinese oil companies in Venezuela and Sudan.87/
It says that China uses Belarusian SOF to guard its oil facilities in places where Chinese and Russian interests might conflict, and alleges that the arrest of the Russian military contractors could have been driven by these Chinese companies. 88/
t.me/wargonzo/3144
Regnum was able to find the electronic tickets for every Russian detained in Belarus, showing they were scheduled to fly from Minsk to Istanbul on July 25 with Turkish Airlines. Many have a return flight booked from Istanbul to Moscow on October 19. 89/
regnum.ru/news/polit/302…
More of those electronic tickets for the Russian private military contractors. They were scheduled to take Turkish Airlines flight 284 from Minsk to Istanbul on July 25. The tickets were booked on July 15. This is in line with the official Russian government explanation. 90/
Russia says that the group missed their flight from Minsk and then moved from a hotel to a sanatorium while waiting for a different flight to Istanbul. These tickets support that claim. 23 of the 33 had return flights, which might indicate that 10 were going somewhere else. 91/
Regnum posted two PDF files with all of the electronic tickets for the 33 Russian private military contractors. 92/
regnum.ru/uploads/docs/2…
regnum.ru/uploads/docs/2…
Video of the Belarusian KGB Alfa team at the 2018 Spetsnaz Triathlon in Russia. The same unit arrested the Russian private military contractors. War Gonzo claims this was the last time they participated in a competition in Russia. 93/
t.me/wargonzo/3154
Though teams from Russia's Russian USN CBP FSO presidential spetsnaz and the FSB Special Purpose Center did take part in a competition in Minsk last year in honor of the KGB Alfa unit. 94/
Personally, I don't think this is a point of no return — though extraditing them to Ukraine probably would be — but it is interesting nonetheless. 95/
95/
96/
Regarding the Russian PMC contractors, Lukashenko said, "Today, information came through about another unit of foreigners that was deployed to the south [of Belarus]. We should run around to catch them in the woods. And we will catch them all" 97/
tass.com/world/1185563
Regarding the detained Russians, “This is a very dangerous and strong signal. And these are all lies—about Istanbul, about Venezuela, about Africa and Libya—these are all lies.” 98/
t.me/new_militaryco…
“These people have testified that they were sent specifically to Belarus. They were told to wait. The tickets to Istanbul are part of the legend because when they were crossing the the Russian border, they had to demonstrate that they were flying to Istanbul.” 99/
Lukashenko said the Russian contractors could have flown through Novorossiysk or Crimea. “Why through Belarus?” “Don’t listen to these lies.” He said Belarus had treated the contractors humanely and as a result they told them everything. 100/
Bottom line is that Lukashenko did not signal that he was backing down over the issue of the Russian private military contractors, and he said that all of the arguments and exculpatory evidence are false or part of the contractors' "legend". 101/
102/
103/
Lukashenko said he spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky yesterday about the 33 detained Russians and said Belarus should invite the Prosecutor Generals of Ukraine and Russia to decide their fate. "If they don't come, we will decide the issue, without them" 104/
Although he said the 33 Russians broke Belarusian laws, Lukashenko said they would act on the basis of "humanity" and "human factors." He also told Russia not to scare them about NATO, stating that neither the US nor NATO sent the group. 105/
belta.by/president/view…
“we do not know what they are capable of. We do not even know who they are: Americans with NATO, or someone from Ukraine or our eastern brothers...A hybrid war is going on against Belarus and we should expect dirty tricks from any side” 106/
eng.belta.by/president/view…
We're now at the "leader publicly weighs the merits of different destinations he might flee to" stage of the election campaign in Belarus. 107/
According to Alexander Kots's sources in the Russian security services, the Russian PMC contractors in Belarus were set up by the Ukrainian security services (a provocation). He says their entire project was fake. 108/
kp.ru/daily/217165/4…
Kots says that the Ukrainian security services convinced Artyom Milyaev, one of the arrested Russians, that they were working for Rosneft to find 180 PMC contractors who would protect oil facilities in Syria. Milyaev used the Mar PMC logo for some reason while recruiting. 109/
Milyaev was later told that his contact at Rosneft had died in Libya and his new contact suggested the group could go to Venezuela instead. The 180 were broken up into five groups, four of whom would arrive in Minsk on July 24, 26, Aug 4 and Aug 6, the 5th would go by sea. 110/
The 1st group consisted mostly of Ukrainians who had fought in the Donbass. According to Kots, their plane tickets were booked by a company based in Ukraine, Must Go, (the Russian Gov said is was through a Belarusian company). The tickets were canceled the day of the flight. 111/
Kots concludes that Ukraine did this to hurt Russian-Belarusian relations as well as the opportunity to extradite former Donbass fighters. 112/
There are reasons to be suspicious of this story, but the notion that you could raise a force of 200 Russian PMC contractors with none of them knowing whom they were working for doesn't speak highly of these guys. And that possibly Russia should have some PMC regulations. 113/
Presidents Lukashenko and Putin had a phone call today where they discussed the 33 detained Russians. 114/
president.gov.by/ru/news_ru/vie…
It is interesting that this version is being spread so much. Yes, it blames Kyiv but it also contradicts the Russian gov's statements of the events, it begs the question why PMCs aren't being regulated, and portrays these Russians as very gullible. 115/
Not sure this is a selling point for foreign countries who want to hire Wagner in the future, and it portrays the Russian state as being weak (not to mention a huge failure for the Russian security services to allow this to happen). 116/
And even if this series of events was true, it was immediately obvious once Belarus arrested these PMC contractors that they weren't in Belarus to do anything and were just waiting to leave the country. So Lukashenko has decided to make this a public spectacle either way. 117/
Lukashenko did say yesterday during his interview with Dmitry Gordon that "Ukraine's intelligence warned us that another group entered the country through the southern border. We are now looking for them all over Belarus." 118/
belta.by/president/view…
"To be honest, I do not really believe that 30 people crossed the border there, because in this case we would have found them unless they left for Russia or went back to Ukraine. We would have found them in our territory long ago” which is being used to support Kots' story. 119/
The RSOTM PMC-linked account is making fun of the War Gonzo telegram channel and its report with “Russian and Belarusian security services sources” that China set this all up. 120/
t.me/grey_zone/4078
121/
122/
As @Mortis_Banned noted, these are Chinese Dongfeng EQ2058 Mengshi, the first of which were delivered to Belarus in 2012 for service with Belarusian SSO/SOF. 123/
Notably, Lukashenko visited the 5th Independent Special Operations Brigade on July 24 where he told them "State Secretary Andrei Ravkov was right when he said that all modern wars begin with street protests, rallies and Maidan-type revolutions." 124/
president.gov.by/en/news_en/vie…
"If there are not enough people here to take part in such revolutions, they will bring them from abroad. They are professional military, specially trained gangsters, mostly as part of private military companies all over the world and they make big money from staging provocations"
He said the risks of a large-scale war are minimal, “The probability is low. The things we’ve studied – conflicts, local wars that have happened across the globe, events preceding them, the undercurrents preceding these conflicts and wars – have a higher probability." 126/
"we can confidently say that a war will not break out just like that. A war begins in advance. First of all, it starts with domestic armed conflicts, color revolutions, which may be inspired by outside forces...this is why we should be constantly ready for it.” 127/
"If someone tells you that Lukashenko came to force the military to put things right in streets…Although due to its specialization this unit can very well be deployed to restore order by law if some riots happen somewhere, god forbid...Our readiness to always defend our country"
Lukashenko said that the US had to use the Army in some states, “First, no one in the world expected the ongoing developments in the USA. Second, this is a serious catastrophe for the entire world. If the U.S. President withstands this pressure, it will be a good sign for us,"
Regarding the contractors, Lukashenko said, "if someone hopes that our relations with Russia are absolutely strained, they are mistaken! The Russian president and I will make a decision, and no media outlets and no Wagner contractors will affect it.” 130/
eng.belta.by/president/view…
Lukashenko said Belarus has received a letter from Russia regarding the facts of the case, which the Belarusian Investigative Committee is reviewing. 131/
tass.ru/mezhdunarodnay…
It seems the Alexander Kots story about the Ukrainian security services being responsible for the arrest of the 33 Wagner contractors is becoming the official Russian gov line. MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blamed a "3rd country's provocation" 132/
tass.com/politics/11871…
133/
134/
135/
136/
137/
138/
139/
140/
141/
142/
Incredible scene in Belarus tonight. 143/
t.me/nexta_live/5710
Protestors marching in Minsk. 144/
t.me/nexta_live/5714
The Belarusian security services are moving in. 145/
t.me/nexta_live/5727
Protestors are standing their ground and erecting barricades. 146/
t.me/nexta_live/5734
Quite the image. 147/
Security services attempting to disperse the protestors. 148/
t.me/nexta_live/5731
A police truck driving through the crowd. Can’t tell if it hit anyone. 149/
t.me/nexta_live/5746
Security services moving in. 150/
t.me/nexta_live/5749
151/
Belarusian police detaining people on bikes in Gomel. 152/
t.me/nexta_live/5754
153/
Still huge crowds marching. 154/
t.me/nexta_live/5760
The police are using water cannons. 155/
t.me/nexta_live/5764
Doesn’t look like people are going home anytime soon. 156/
t.me/nexta_live/5766
157/
Another view of the police truck driving through a crowd of protesters. 158/
t.me/nexta_live/5769
159/
160/
Riot police shield wall. 161/
162/
163/
Another video of OMON riot police marching. 164/
Heavy security services presence in front of the Belarusian KGB’s HQ in Minsk. 165/
t.me/nexta_live/5798
166/
167/
Belarusian riot police in Kobrin lowered their shields and were cheered by the protesters. 168/
Video of the prisoner transport truck that ran over a protestor earlier tonight. 169/
t.me/tutby_official…
170/
171/
The protests haven’t died down. 172/
t.me/breakingmash/1…
Still a huge number of protestors out in Minsk. 173/
t.me/tutby_official…
174/
Protestors pelting and kicking a police car. 175/
t.me/nexta_live/5825
176/
177/
A photo from Minsk tonight. 178/
t.me/nashaniva/8343
More photos from Minsk. 180/
t.me/nashaniva/8345
Photos of a flash bang grenade used tonight and a munition pulled from a protestor’s body. 181/
t.me/nexta_live/5822
It appears it is a Czech-made flash bang. (h/t @StasSwanky) 182/
@StasSwanky also ID'd the shotgun rubber bullets that were used, Azot Барьер. 183/
Wow, protestors in Pinsk near the border with Ukraine forced the OMON riot police to retreat. 184/
t.me/nexta_live/5859
Video from Minsk from earlier tonight. 185/
t.me/nexta_live/5845
A lone protestor faces off against riot police and a water cannon. 186/
t.me/nexta_live/5865
187/
Putin has congratulated Lukashenko on his victory in the election and said that he expects further development of mutually beneficial relations between Belarus and Russia. 188/
t.me/tass_agency/13…
It wasn’t mentioned but clearly Putin is expecting the 33 Russian private military contractors to be returned ASAP now that the election is over and likely before Russia will engage with Belarus on any other topic. 189/
Wow this video reportedly shows Semyon Pegov who runs the War Gonzo Telegram account (and has been reporting on the 33 arrested private military contractors) being detained by Belarusian authorities. People have been unable to contact him since then. 190/
t.me/vladlentatarsk…
Photo of Russian war correspondent Semyon Pegov, who runs the War Gonzo Telegram channel, being forcibly detained last night in Minsk. 191/
t.me/epoddubny/3544
192/
RT’s Editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, has called for War Gonzo’s Semyon Pegov to be released. 193/
194/
195/
Another video from last night of Belarusian security services detaining a barely conscious protestor. 196/
t.me/nexta_live/5893
Lukashenko said he would not allow a “Maidan” to happen, and he said Russian citizens tried to join the protests in Minsk (possibly a reference to Semyon Pegov). Sounds as though he’s not planning on backing down. 197/
t.me/tass_agency/13…
198/
199/
200/
Some good news. This protestor who was feared dead yesterday is reportedly alive and spoke to reporters. 201/
202/
203/
204/
Photos likely of officers from the Belarusian KGB's Alfa group on the streets on Minsk tonight, primarily equipped with less-than-lethal weapons and shotguns. 205/
vk.com/milinfolive?w=…
206/
207/
208/
209/
210/
211/
Another photo of Belarusian KGB Alfa officers. 212/
t.me/milinfolive/61…
213/
214/
215/
216/
Another video of protestors launching fireworks at the police. 217/
t.me/nexta_live/6491
Video of Belarusian riot police employing flash bangs. 218/
t.me/tutby_official…
Large number of Belarusian riot police on the streets. 219/
t.me/nexta_live/6503
Looks like a KGB Alfa Officer forcefully pulling someone out of their car. 220/
t.me/nexta_live/6503
221/
Some streets have been blocked off with barricades. 222/
t.me/nexta_live/6522
Another video of one of the barricades set up. 223/
t.me/nexta_live/6537
Video of a Molotov cocktail being thrown. 224/
t.me/nexta_live/6544
225/
Warning there is some bad language. Video of someone driving past security services who appear to be KGB Alfa officers. 226/
t.me/nexta_live/6562
227/
Photos from tonight. The graffiti says “Lukashenko go away!” and 3% which is a reference to unofficial surveys showing he had only 3% support. 228/
t.me/nexta_live/6575
More explosions, which sound like fireworks. 229/
t.me/nexta_live/6581
More Molotov cocktails. 230/
t.me/nexta_live/6583
Video of OMON officers beating a protestor. The observers shout “Shame!” and “what are you doing? monsters!” 231/
t.me/nexta_live/6595
Another Molotov cocktail. 232/
t.me/nexta_live/6615
A police van driving through one of the barricades. 233/
t.me/milinfolive/61…
Looks like a KGB Alfa officer firing a less-than-lethal round from a shotgun (possibly a Benelli M4) at protestors in Minsk. Hard to tell but it looks like he has an EOTech sight. 234/
t.me/nexta_live/6630
Wow a car ran through a line of police after his car was hit with flash bangs. Looks like some officers were injured. 235/
t.me/nexta_live/6642
Apparently a riot police officer took off his helmet and refused to take part in putting down the protests. 236/
t.me/nexta_live/6650
Photo of the scene near the Riga mall in Minsk. 237/
t.me/nexta_live/6651
Photos of OMON officers approaching a barricade set up by the protestors. 238/
t.me/nexta_live/6646
The scene at 1:20 a.m. 239/
t.me/tutby_official…
Belarusian security services are reportedly firing tear gas cannisters at families standing on their balconies. 240/
t.me/nexta_live/6657
Photo of the munition fires at the family standing on their balcony. They said their eyes, faces, and lungs felt like they were burning. 241/
Still a huge crowd out on the streets. 242/
t.me/nexta_live/6665
KGB Alfa officers with Italian-made Benelli M4 shotguns, German-made MP5 machine guns, and American-made EOTech sights (looks like a 512/552). (H/t @AbraxasSpa) 243/
KGB Alfa officers getting out of a blue van with less-than-lethal shotguns as well as handguns, MP5 sub machine guns, and AK-74 rifles. 244/
t.me/nexta_live/6641
Photos from tonight. 245/
Photos: Вадим Замировский
t.me/tutby_official…
246/
Another video of KGB Alfa officers firing less-than-lethal munitions at protestors near the Pushkinskaya metro station. 246/
t.me/breakingmash/1…
Protestors launching fireworks earlier tonight in the direction of OMON officers. 247/
t.me/breakingmash/1…
248/
249/
These are apparently MVD SOBR officers, not KGB Alfa officers. 250/
Protestors attacking a police UAZ Jeep in Brest. 251/
t.me/Lshot/20031
More police brutality from OMON officers tonight in Minsk. 252/
t.me/nexta_live/6673
Video from Baranovichi of a protestor avoiding a tackle from OMON riot police officers like a wide receiver. 253/
t.me/wargonzo/3227
Protestors staring down riot police. 254/
t.me/wargonzo/3228
255/
256/
Joe Biden released a statement about Belarus, "After suffering systematic repression for the past 26 years under the authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenka, the people of Belarus are demanding their voices be heard." 257/
medium.com/@JoeBiden/my-s…
258/
Warning: offensive language. Security services stopped near protestors and appeared to fire on them from behind as they fled (likely with less-than-lethal munitions). 259/
t.me/nexta_live/6682
Security services aiming lasers at people filming them from their apartments. 260/
t.me/new_militaryco…
Those don’t look like laser dazzlers intended for crowd control, but instead like aiming lasers for their personal weapons. 261/
266/
This video is reportedly of the Oktyabrskaya department of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs in central Minsk with dozens of arrested people lying face down. 267/
t.me/nexta_live/6685
268/
269/
They also appear to be wearing Crye Precision pants and 3M Peltor ComTac headsets, both of which are made in the US. Both FABARM and Benelli are Italian companies. 270/
These images are a compelling reason for protestors to resist arrest. 271/
Belarusian security services officers in a Russian Tigr vehicle. 272/
gettyimages.com/detail/news-ph…
Another example of senseless violence from OMON officers last night. 273/
t.me/nexta_live/6690
274/
275/
Photos of 43mm grenade rounds launched by SOBR or OMON officers with Russian GM-94 grenade launchers at people in Minsk. The 1st is a VGM93.200 less-lethal tear gas round and the 2nd is a VGM93.600 less-than-lethal round with kinetic impact projectile. (h/t @AbraxasSpa) 276/
Another video from Brest yesterday. 277/
t.me/tutby_official…
Another 43mm VGM93.600 less-than-lethal round with kinetic impact projectile launched from a GM-94 grenade launcher. 278/
Early start for the police brutality. 279/
t.me/nexta_live/6716
280/
281/
282/
283/
284/
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh.

Keep Current with Rob Lee

Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @RALee85 see all

Profile picture
Rob Lee
@RALee85
An Eastern Military District Iskander-M missile brigade and Southern Military District Tornado-S MLRS with Orlan-10 UAVs conducted a live-fire exercise at Kapustin Yar. Look's like 3 9M723 missiles were volley-fired before 2 Tornado-S TELs opened fire.
tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/co…
One of those Iskander-M 9P78-1 TELs launching a 9M723 short-range ballistic missile. 2/
Volley fire of 3 Iskander-M 9M723 short-range ballistic missiles. 3/
Read 7 tweets
Profile picture
Rob Lee
@RALee85
Important S-400 news. @halmiso1 spotted that both the 93rd and the 1529th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiments have 51P6A TELs in addition to 5P85SM2-01. This is significant because only the 51P6A is believed to be capable of employing the long-range 40N6 400km range missile.
Russian OPK sources told TASS back in the fall of 2018 that the 40N6 missile was operational, but we never saw the missile on display nor saw any public live fire demonstrations. 2/
Last September, the Russian MoD spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that the max range of Russian air defenses in Syria was 250km, which is consistent with the max range of the 48N6DM/48N6E3 missile but not the 40N6. 3/
Read 7 tweets
Profile picture
Rob Lee
@RALee85
Izvestia reports that the Russian Navy will test modular weapon systems and equipment that can be housed in 20 or 40-foot shipping containers. These can include cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, Redut/Pantsir-M-type AD system, and submarine defenses.
iz.ru/1038280/roman-…
Of course, Russia has previously developed the Club-K, the export variant of the Kalibr missile, that can be employed from shipping containers. Now Russia is looking to add other systems, including anti-submarine torpedo and hydroacoustic systems. 2/
They have also developed a medical container with an operating room and an intensive care unit that can be used to improve a ship's medical capabilities for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations. 3/
Read 6 tweets

Embed code for your website

×
Follow Us on Twitter!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!