Today: 31 May 2025
14 July 2023
2 mins read

‘Wagner not participating in Ukraine war in any significant way’

On Wednesday, Russia announced that its army had received more than 2,000 pieces of military hardware, including tanks, from Wagner, following the rebellion…reports Asian Lite News

Wagner mercenaries are no longer participating in “any significant capacity” in combat operations in Ukraine, the Pentagon said Thursday, more than two weeks after the group’s aborted mutiny in Russia.

“At this stage, we do not see Wagner forces participating in any significant capacity in support of combat operations in Ukraine,” Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder told a news briefing.

The armed group, which played a key role in the Ukraine offensive, sought to topple Russia’s military leadership during the brief rebellion, before backing down.

The whereabouts of its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin are largely unknown in the wake of an agreement with the Kremlin that allowed for him to be exiled to neighbouring Belarus.

Ryder said the United States assessed that “the majority” of Wagner fighters were still in areas of Russian-occupied Ukraine.

Russian army chief of staff Valery Gerasimov Gerasimov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had for months been the targets of fierce criticism from Prigozhin, leading up to the attempted rebellion.

Since the failed mutiny, speculation has been rife that there could be a reshuffle among Russia’s military leadership, while details about the deal that ended the Wagner rebellion remain uncertain.

The Kremlin has said that President Vladimir Putin met with Prigozhin during an hours-long meeting in Moscow days after the mutiny.

On Wednesday, Russia announced that its army had received more than 2,000 pieces of military hardware, including tanks, from Wagner, following the rebellion.

Meanwhile, reports have emerged that Putin held secret talks at the Kremlin with the Wagner warlord who staged an armed mutiny against his regime.

The unannounced session took place on July 1, a week after the revolt by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary army, according to French publication Liberation, which cited secret service sources.

Since the alleged meeting, Prigozhin appears to be remaining in Russia rather than forced into exile in neighbouring Belarus as seemed his fate earlier.

The claims about a sensational head-to-head between Putin and Prigozhin come amid a chilling separate theory that the Wagner boss may be tasked with using his armed force to assassinate Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky — and ‘bring his head’ to the Kremlin.

Prigozhin may seek to carry out ‘some great atrocity for the benefit of Russia’ to work his way back in with the Putin regime after his armed revolt aimed at toppling Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Defence Staff Valery Gerasimov, said one of Moscow’s most-respected editors, Nobel prize-winner Dmitry Muratov.

“I think [Yevgeny Prigozhin] may not ask for forgiveness [from Putin],” Muratov, who runs the pioneering investigative news outlet Novaya Gazeta, told Zhivoy Gvozd in his YouTube show.

ALSO READ-Wagner group ‘simply does not exist’, says Putin

Previous Story

Stagnant UK economy lagging behind EU

Next Story

OPEC expects 2.2% growth in oil demand in 2024

Latest from -Top News

World needs Dubai’s ambition: Morgan

Piers Morgan has hailed Dubai’s transformation as an example of what visionary leadership can achieve. British broadcaster Piers Morgan has praised the extraordinary ambition and vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin

Mohammed honours football champions

Ruler of Dubai hails players as role models during palace reception His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, received the

Abu Dhabi sets 2050 energy vision

Abu Dhabi unveils AED400 billion energy roadmap, inked climate finance pact ahead of 2026 UN Water Conference Abu Dhabi has unveiled a sweeping strategic framework to transform its energy and water sector

Gargash: UAE’s pragmatism sets regional example

Anwar Gargash says the UAE stands as a beacon of what is possible when pragmatism and vision come together. As political instability, economic fragmentation and rapid technological change continue to reshape the

US flag returns to Damascus

Billions in energy deals and lifted sanctions mark Syria’s reintegration, as US reopens embassy and declares the war-torn nation “open for business” under new regional partnerships. The United States has reopened its
Go toTop

Don't Miss

US Launches F-16 Training for Ukrainian Pilots

After the trainees grasp the necessary language skills, they will

Labour vows to take on Wagner group, IRGC

Labour’s proposed legislation could also be used to proscribe the