Pentagon says Wagner Group will no longer be ‘specifically’ involved in fighting in Ukraine

“At this point, we do not see significant participation of Wagner’s forces in combat operations in Ukraine”, Pentagon spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder said during a press conference Thursday. America believes that “Majority” Fighters from the Wagner group are still in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, he said.

In late June, Wagner, a paramilitary group instrumental in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, attempted to overthrow the Russian military leadership in a surprise coup. The group’s leader, Evgueni Prigojine, argued that his rise was not to overthrow power, but to save Wagner from being ousted by Russian civil servants, whom he accused of being incompetent in the conflict in Ukraine.

The mutiny ended on the evening of June 24 with Mr. Prigog’s agreement to leave for Belarus. Its fighters have been offered by Russian President Vladimir Putin to join regular troops, settle in Belarus or return to civilian life.

On Wednesday, the Russian military announced that it had received more than 2,000 pieces of military equipment, 2,500 tons of ammunition and 20,000 small arms from the Wagner Group. Mr. Prigozhin agreed to surrender his men’s weapons to regular Russian troops after they gave up their armed rebellion.

Since the failure of the rebellion, unconfirmed rumors have also hinted at reshuffles within the military command, particularly regarding Wagner’s ally, General Sergei Churovikhin, amid the opacity of Russian power.