- By Laura Gozzi and Phelan Chatterjee
- BBC News
1 hour ago
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After their failed mutiny, the Wagner fighters were told they could join the regular Russian forces or go to Belarus
The Wagner mercenary group “is no longer significantly involved in supporting combat operations in Ukraine,” a Pentagon spokesman said.
It comes weeks after the group’s 24-hour mutiny in Russia – a challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s authority.
Wagner is said to have helped Russia annex Crimea in 2014 and fought some of the bloodiest battles in recent memory.
It was instrumental in capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut for Russia.
As part of the deal that ended the insurgency in June, Wagner fighters were told they could join the regular Russian army or head to Belarus with its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
But earlier this week the Kremlin said Mr Putin met Prigozhin just days after the mutiny in Moscow.
Mr Putin insists he made his offer clear to the fighters at that meeting.
Speaking to Russian daily Kommersant on Thursday, he said they could have chosen to “continue their service” for the regular Russian military.
“They would have been led by the person who had been their actual commander all along,” he continued, apparently referring to himself.
He also stressed that there is no legal framework for private military organizations. In a nutshell, he said: “Wagner does not exist.”
Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden told a news conference in Finland that Mr Prighosin should be wary of post-riot poisoning.
“God only knows what he’s likely to do. We’re not even sure where he is or what his relationship is.” [with Mr Putin]. If I were him, I would be careful about what I eat. I would keep an eye on my menu,” Mr. Biden said.
Following a summit with Nordic leaders in Helsinki, Mr Biden also said there was no way Mr Putin would win the war in Ukraine.
“He’s already lost that war,” he said.
Mr Biden said the Russian president will eventually “decide that it is not in Russia’s economic, political or any other interest to continue this war. But I can’t predict exactly how that will happen.”
He also expressed “hope and expectation” that Ukraine would make enough progress in its current counter-offensive to bring about a negotiated peace settlement.
Others believe that Russia’s defenses will eventually crumble, allowing Ukraine to seize strategically significant territory and advance towards Russia’s conquered Crimea.
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Watch: The day the Wagner boss went rogue… in 96 seconds
Ukraine has long asked its Western allies for more military support to help resist the Russian invasion.
Though the country failed to set a firm timeline for NATO membership at a recent summit in Lithuania, G7 members gave it a long-term security framework designed to help protect against Russian aggression.
He stressed that they would change the fate of Ukraine at the front. “We just got them, we haven’t used them yet, but they can change radically.” [the battlefield]said Mr. Tarnavskyi.