US think tank: Wagner group will continue to exist after the uprising
According to US experts, the Russian private army Wagner will continue to be deployed after the armed uprising under its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. The return of Wagner troops to their training camps with military equipment indicates that the Kremlin wants to maintain at least parts of the group rather than disbanding them, the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) said on Sunday (local time). However, the future of the command and organizational structure is unclear.
The think tank based its assessments on statements by the head of the Russian Defense Committee, Andrei Kartapolov, who said there was no need to ban the Wagner group as it was “the most combat-ready entity in Russia”. According to instructions from Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, Russia is currently working on a law to regulate private military companies.
According to the ISW, the fact that Kartapolov is trying to absolve Wagner mercenaries of their own responsibility for the uprising could indicate the Russian government’s desire to continue using the fighters, for example in Ukraine or in international missions. The Kremlin declared on Saturday that parts of the Wagner troops should be placed under the command of the Defense Ministry. The mercenary chief Prigozhin had refused. He accuses the Ministry of Defense of mismanagement and incompetence.