The Pentagon claimed Thursday that Wagner mercenaries are no longer operating in any significant capacity in combat operations in Ukraine, more than two weeks after the group’s failed revolt 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 said at a press briefing.
During the brief revolt, the armed organization, which played a crucial role in the Ukraine offensive, attempted to destabilize Russia’s military leadership before retreating.
Following a deal with the Kremlin that permitted him to be deported to neighboring Belarus, the whereabouts of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, are virtually unknown.
Mr. Ryder stated that the US believed the majority of Wagner fighters were still in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Mr. Prigozhin had been harshly criticizing Russian army chief of staff Valery Gerasimov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu for months before to the attempted coup.
Since the failed mutiny, there has been speculation that Russia’s military leadership may be reshuffled, but facts of the settlement that stopped the Wagner insurrection remain unknown.
According to the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin met with Prigozhin during an hours-long discussion in Moscow days after the mutiny.
Following the insurrection, Russia said on Wednesday that it had received over 2,000 pieces of military gear, including tanks, from Wagner.
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