Since the death of their boss Prigozhin, the future of the Wagner troupe has been uncertain. Most recently, however, fighters were seen again in Ukraine. Now the Kremlin commissioned an ex-Wagner commander to set up new units.
After the death of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash, Russian head of state Vladimir Putin commissioned one of the highest-ranking former commanders of the Wagner mercenaries to set up combat units for use in Ukraine.
At a meeting at the Defense Ministry, Putin asked Andrei Troshev to “oversee the creation of volunteer units that can take on various tasks, primarily, of course, in the zone of military special operations” in Ukraine, the Kremlin said. This is how Russia describes the war against Ukraine.
The picture published by the Russian state news agency Sputnik shows Junus-Bek Yevkurov (m) and Andrei Troshev (r) at a meeting with Russian President Putin (l).
Wagner fighters are apparently already back in Ukraine
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was also present at Putin’s meeting with Troshev on Thursday evening, a sign that the Wagner mercenaries are now likely to serve under the leadership of the Defense Ministry. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Troshev now works for the Defense Ministry. He referred questions about a possible return of the Wagner mercenaries to Ukraine to the military leadership.
The announcement suggested that Putin wants to use Wagner troops in the war of aggression against Ukraine even after Prigozhin’s death. Since the loss-making conquest of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in early summer, the Wagner mercenaries no longer played a major role in the fighting; at least large parts of their heavy military equipment were handed over to the army.
After their short-lived uprising in June, many fighters were sent to Belarus. However, according to information from Kiev and London, the troops’ fighters are already being deployed again in eastern Ukraine. British intelligence suspected that they were again stationed in Bakhmut.
Troschew had previously been discussed as Wagner boss
Just a few days after their mutiny, Putin offered the mercenaries to integrate into the army. He also suggested that Troshev replace Prigozhin as mercenary boss, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported. However, Prigozhin refused.
Putin now explained that Troshev has the necessary experience to fulfill the task entrusted to him. The former officer – nicknamed “Sedoi”, which roughly means “the grey-haired one” – is considered one of the founders of the Wagner group and is on a European Union sanctions list because of his role as a mercenary leader in Syria.
Kremlin: No more mobilization for Ukraine
At the same time, the Russian General Staff announced that no further mobilization for the war in Ukraine was planned. There are enough volunteers who are doing military service and “fulfilling the relevant tasks” in Ukraine, emphasized Rear Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky, who is responsible for enlistment at the General Staff. From October 1st, Russia wants to draft more than 100,000 conscripts again. The soldiers would be regularly called up for twelve months of basic military service, but would not be deployed in the war zone in Ukraine, it was said.
After Prigozhin’s brief mutiny in June and his death in a plane crash two months later, the future of the Wagner mercenaries was unclear. On August 23rd, the Wagner boss died when his private plane crashed.
The Wagner Group was not only an important pillar of the Russian army in Ukraine. They have also been active in African countries and Syria for years – and the Russian government exercises influence through them.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body.