Ukraine sees disarray in Moscow as Russian mercenaries withdraw
2 min read 29 Jun 2023, 01:30 PM ISTRussian mercenary group Wagner has left the battlefield in Ukraine, leading to speculation of disarray in Moscow. However, it remains unclear whether this will make Ukraine's counteroffensive any easier.
PremiumAfter Russia's Wagner group left Ukraine's battlefield for last weekend's aborted uprising across the border, Kyiv officials could barely conceal their joy at the prospect of disarray in Moscow, according to a report published by Bloomberg.
Officials stated that the withdrawal of the Kremlin-funded mercenaries hasn’t so far made it easier for Ukraine’s high-stakes counteroffensive, and it’s not clear whether it will.
On Wednesday, Ukraine confirmed that the Wagner troops were no longer fighting at the front, rather they were replaced by a mix of paratroopers and inexperienced regular troops.
In Kyiv, many saw the march on Moscow led by Russian President Vladimir Putin's once favored caterer, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, as a sign of growing division within the Russian state, Bloomberg reported.
Some people celebrated the Wagner army's potential exit from the field after they won Russia's only victory in a bloody winter offensive.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, and a prolific commentator on the war said, "One of the most combat-ready and brutal military units in Russia has been eliminated!"
The number of professional troops Prigozhin had fighting in Ukraine has never been clear and could be lower than the 25,000 often estimated. The Wagner force has shrunk back toward its original core of professional fighters.
Michael Kofman, a specialist on the Russian military at CNA, a Washington think tank, has estimated that Prigozhin probably had closer to 15,000 of his permanent troops fighting in Ukraine, as per Bloomberg reports.
“They were not playing a key role in the war at this time. It was never clear after Bakhmut what their role would be in the rest of the war," Rob Lee, a former US Marines officer and senior fellow at the Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute.
In his televised remarks on Monday, President Putin made it clear that the Russian government is keen to persuade as many Wagner troops as possible to sign contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry, tapping the pool of experienced fighters to sustain the war effort in Ukraine.
(With Bloomberg inputs)
