After days of hard fighting, the founder of the militia Wagner, Evegny PrigozhinHe claimed on Telegram that he took full control of the city Soledarin which Donbass. If confirmed, that would be it
biggest Russian success on the battlefield since last summer. “Wagner’s units have taken the entire Soledar territory under their control,” Prigozhin said in an audio message, citing “street fighting” with trapped Ukrainian troops and also announced that he would “announce the number” in the next few hours. of prisoners”.
Ukrainian War, Wagner: “Conquest of the Ukrainian City of Soledar”. Kremlin: No prospect of peace talks
Because Wagner’s boss wants the mines near Bakhmut
Wagner’s successes in the Ukraine seem to be the only ones after the counter-offensive of the Kiev troops. The reason for such a strong push by the tsar’s mercenaries was analyzed by the United States, according to which Prigozhin, who is very close to Putin, is interested in taking control of the salt and gypsum mined in the mines near the City are sponsored by Bachmut. There is evidence that the attack on these areas is linked to economic problems, a Washington official told Portal. Because the strategy of the Wagner supporters is always the same. For the US, the group of fighters has already exploited natural resources in Central African Republic, Mali and Sudan to fund Moscow’s war. Allegations that Russia has denied.
Image 1: This is what the Soledar salt mines look like
Image 2: How caves in the Volodymyrivka area look like
Image 3: What Wagner claims is the Soledar Salt Mine.For me it’s a pretty good deal, the Wagner image doesn’t go with the salt mines. pic.twitter.com/EKuHb0I7TG
— DefMon (@DefMon3) January 10, 2023
The Reinforcements
Of Wagner’s force of nearly 50,000 mercenaries in Ukraine, more than 4,100 were killed and another 10,000 wounded. And at least a thousand near Bakhmut in late November – early December. According to the Institute for War Research (ISW), due to their heavy casualties in the war against Kyiv, the Wagner group likely needs new forces, especially former prisoners who were released from Russian prisons and agreed to fight with promises of earning clemency. Prigozhin, who was sanctioned by Western countries for his role, was seen waving at ex-convicts who had fought in Ukraine, urging them not to commit other serious crimes such as murder once they became free men. An action, yours, with probably advertising purposes because – according to the analysts’ thesis – aims to “intensify the recruitment campaign of the Wagner group in the prisons” and “80% of the mercenaries deployed in Ukraine who have been promised to calm”. a reward for their participation in hostilities”.
The White House report
«Prigozhin – adds Isw – has increasingly stoked the Russian ultranationalist community for the war and especially for the ability of the Wagner group to seize the territory, and starting with the offensive on Bakhmut – he probably wants to further motivate the staff of Wagner and generate new paramilitary forces to reverse the tide of the battle on the ground.” The White House said late last month that Wagner had received a shipment of arms from North Korea to bolster troops in Ukraine, a sign of the increasingly dominant force role of the group in the conflict.
What do we know about the Wagner Group?
The mercenary force first appeared publicly during the invasion and annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. From 2015 onwards, Wagner appeared wherever Russia had geopolitical interests: first in the Syrian civil war alongside President Bashar al-Assad, then in Libya, Auto and Russia, including Mali. Prigozhin, who served nine years in Soviet prison for robbery and other crimes before entering the business in the 1990s, admitted last year to meddling in US elections and recognized for the first time his role in the Wagnerian foundation. With the onset of the invasion, the group’s leader, a somewhat unlikely oligarch, has come out of hiding and some say he has ambitions for the Kremlin. He has effectively claimed his patronage of the Wagner Group, his involvement in the 2016 presidential election, and his influence (real or perceived) in Putin’s decision to launch the invasion. In the heart of St. Petersburg, a coveted personal fiefdom, the Wagner Center for High-Tech Military Research has opened, where the command center of the “Fiddlers” is believed to be located and where Western technology catch-up activities are carried out. Considering his past, this criminal environment where silence is golden, his willingness to reveal his involvement in the war wasn’t so obvious.
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