Satellite images of a military base southeast of the Belarus capital Minsk indicate that the base may be winding down its operations. The base is believed to belong to Wagner, the Russian mercenary company responsible for an unsuccessful mutiny.

The dismantling of tents at the Tsel military base in the Mogilev region can be seen in images taken on July 25th, August 25th, and September 9th. These images, provided by Earth imaging company Planet Labs, show a gradual reduction in the number of tents at the camp. However, the exact nature of these changes in the camp cannot be independently verified by Reuters.

The uncertain fate of Wagner’s mercenaries follows the tragic crash of a private jet on August 23rd, which killed the company’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his top lieutenants. The cause of the crash remains unknown.

In June, the Wagner group instigated a brief mutiny against the Russian army’s top officials, an act that was condemned as treason by President Vladimir Putin. As part of a deal that ended the mutiny, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko invited Wagner to establish operations in his country.

It is unclear why the Wagner base in Belarus is being dismantled. Speculation surrounding the reasons for this includes potential fallout from the mutiny and the death of Prigozhin. However, without further information, it is difficult to draw clear conclusions.