Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered a former Wagner boss to take control of “volunteer units” and rejoin the frontline in Ukraine.
Signalling the Kremlin’s intention to continue using the mercenaries following the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin told Andrei Troshev in a meeting late on Thursday that his task is to “deal with forming volunteer units that could perform various combat tasks, primarily in the zone of the special military operation.”
Troshev is a retired military officer who has played a leading role in Wagner since its creation in 2014 and faced European Union sanctions over his role in Syria as the group’s executive director.
Deputy defence minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was also present at the meeting, a sign that Wagner mercenaries will likely serve under the Defence Ministry’s command.
Speaking in a conference call with reporters on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Troshev now works for the Defence Ministry and referred questions about Wagner’s possible return to Ukraine to the military.
Wagner fighters have had no significant role on the battlefield since they withdrew after capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in the war’s longest and bloodiest battle.
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva's Olympic doping case will resume for two more days in November