Threat at the border: British report presence of Wagner mercenaries. Originally, 8,000 private army fighters were in the country allied with Russia.
The militia came into the country in June 2023 after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin failed in an uprising against the Russian military leadership. The mercenaries are said to be near the Ukrainian border in order to concentrate opposing forces there for the purpose of a possible attack. Ukraine will be forced to maintain defensive positions and personnel along its northern border with Belarus.