A Wagner Group commander believed to be the inspiration for the mercenary group has issued a chilling warning as hundreds of the fighters arrived in Belarus.

Dmitry Utkin, a former particular forces officer within the GRU, Russia’s overseas intelligence company, spoke to the Wagner fighters exterior the Belarusian village of Tsel, the place they've been exiled following their June 24 mutiny.

He instructed the hundreds of fighters that the work of the Wagner Group “is only just beginning” as he stood alongside the non-public army firm’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The Wagner chief additionally spoke to the mercenaries gathered within the makeshift army camp, telling them that they “may return to the special military operation” in Ukraine.

Prigozhin had not been seen since June 24, barring an unverified photograph of the warlord in his pants believed to be from July 12; his look on Tuesday (July 18) ended weeks of hypothesis that he had been killed by the Kremlin, as advised by a former US official.

Speaking to the animated crowd of mercenaries, lots of whom are convicted criminals, Utkin welcomed the Wagner males to Belarus.

The former Russian lieutenant common, who goes by the callsign “Wagner”, is believed to be the inspiration for the mercenary outfit.

He stated: “Yes, if anyone does not know, I am that very Wagner. Most of you know me, most of you I know personally. Thanks for the work you've done.

“This is not the end, this is just the beginning of the biggest work in the world that will be done very soon. Well, welcome to hell.”

A video launched on Wednesday by pro-Wagner channels on Telegram confirmed the speech of Prigozhin, believed to have taken place previous to Utkin’s remarks, dated Tuesday (July 17).

The channels ran a blurry video purporting to point out Prigozhin on the army camp close to the Belarusian village of Tsel, his silhouette seen in opposition to the sky at nightfall. His gravelly voice was clearly distinguishable.

In the video, Prigozhin says: “What is going on the front line today is a shame in which we shouldn’t take part,” he stated.

But, he added: “We may return to the special military operation when we feel sure that we will not be forced to put shame on ourselves.

“We need to wait for the moment when we can show ourselves in full. That is why a decision has been made that we would spend some time here in Belarus.

“During that time, we will make the Belarusian army the second strongest army in the world. We will train, raise our level and set off for a new journey to Africa.”

Pro-Wagner channels additionally issued an replace on the casualty figures for the mercenary group’s assault on Bakhmut, the besieged metropolis in jap Ukraine, earlier this yr.

The bloody battle, which was waged for greater than 10 months, claimed the lives of twenty-two,000 Wagner mercenaries, whereas 40,000 extra had been injured.

The figures, uniquely sincere in comparison with official figures printed by the Kremlin, give a uncommon view into the actual losses incurred in the course of the “special military operation”.