Belarus announced on Friday that mercenaries from the Wagner Group, a former spearhead of Russia’s offensive against Ukraine, are now acting as “instructors” for their own army after weeks of uncertainty over the future of the paramilitary group that led a failed insurgency Moscow triggered in late June.
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At the same time, the Ukrainian army, whose counter-offensive did not turn out as quickly as expected, claims to be advancing in the south of the country.
At a diplomatic level, representatives of the US and the European Union at a meeting in Jakarta condemned the “aggressive” stance of their Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed optimism about the renewal of the essential agreement for Ukrainian wheat’s access to world markets.
The announcements come after a fourth consecutive wave of Russian night raids on Kiev, in which the Ukrainian military claimed to have shot down 16 of 17 Iranian-made Shahed explosive drones. The previous waves of drones and missiles coincided with a NATO-Ukraine attack in Vilnius, which angered Moscow, left only casualties.
In Belarus, “Wagner’s fighters play the role of instructors in a number of military disciplines,” said the Defense Ministry of that Moscow-ally ally, through whose territory Russia sent its troops toward Kiev just over 16 months ago.
Wagner’s mercenaries played an important role in the Russian offensive in Ukraine, particularly in the bloody battle for Bachmout, a devastated eastern town that Moscow claimed to capture in May.
On June 24, their chief Evguéni Prigojine, in conflict with the Russian military hierarchy, launched an uprising against Moscow, occupied an army headquarters in southern Russia for several hours and traveled several hundred kilometers with their tanks towards the Moscow capital, which shook Russian power.
Their uprising ended with an agreement that provided for Yevgeny Prigoyine to leave the country for Belarus. The fighters were offered to join the regular troops, return to civilian life, or emigrate to Belarus as well.
The fate of Evguéni Prigojine is uncertain. On Friday, several Telegram channels published a photo of a man resembling him sitting on a camp bed in a tent.
As for General Sergueï Sourovikine, a senior military official to whom Wagner’s chief expressed his attachment, his disappearance – without his arrest having been officially confirmed – confirmed the hypothesis of complicity with the army.
More in combat
According to the Pentagon, the most important consequence remains the apparent withdrawal of mercenaries from the fighting in Ukraine. “At this time we do not see any significant involvement of Wagner’s forces in the fighting,” said his spokesman, General Pat Ryder.
However, there are still “bitter fighting” between Russians and Ukrainians on the ground, according to a statement by the Ukrainian general staff.
“The enemy is continuing its main efforts in the Koupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmout, Avdiivka and Mariinka areas” in the east of the country, the same source says, which indicates that “about twenty combat operations have taken place over the past few days.” .
In the south, on the other hand, where Ukrainian forces are attempting to advance to the Sea of Azov to cut off Russian supply lines, “tank-backed assault brigades advanced 1.7 km towards… within a week”. the city of Melitopol, announced Colonel Mykola Ourchalovitch, a spokesman for the Ukrainian National Guard.
Further down, towards the city of Kherson, on the Dnieper River, Ukrainian forces are conducting reconnaissance and combat missions to “prepare the area for offensive actions,” he added.
Kiev’s counteroffensive “is not progressing so fast,” admitted the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Administration Andriï Yermak. But two days after a sometimes tense Ukraine-NATO summit in Vilnius, he ruled out any pressure from his allies on Kiev.
“No pressure”
“There’s no pressure, just one question: ‘How can we help you?'” he assured. “Our position is very clear on the idea of negotiations with Moscow,” he said, since it can only be discussed “after the Russian troops leave our territory.”
Westerners also condemned the stance of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during talks in Jakarta with Southeast Asian countries on Friday. His participation was “neither constructive nor productive,” noted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
For his part, the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell said that Sergei Lavrov had lost his temper in the face of criticism of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Lavrov answered me very aggressively and explained his point by saying that it was all a ‘Western conspiracy’ and the war will go on,” Borrell said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is re-emerging vigorously in negotiations over the conflict following his re-election, has expressed confidence in the future of Ukraine’s grain exports across the Black Sea, which are vital to world markets and the economy . Food in Africa and the Middle East in particular.
“We are preparing to welcome Mr Putin in August. “Putin and I agree to expand the Black Sea grain corridor,” Erdogan told reporters. The Kremlin denied having commented on the matter.