Wagner out of Ukraine? Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the mercenary group, is reportedly preparing to downsize the operations of his private army in the war in Ukraine, alongside Russia, due to shortages of men and ammunition. The Bloomberg agency reported it, citing sources familiar with the matter who preferred to remain anonymous. Wagner is particularly engaged in the Bakhmut area, the city of Donbass which has become the fulcrum of the conflict for weeks.
Seen as a growing threat by Russia’s political establishment, Prigozhin – whose group has allegedly been barred from prison recruitment and deprived of military supplies – is reportedly planning to shift attention back to Africa given the difficulties encountered in Donbass. Despite months of assaults and heavy casualties, Wagner’s troops still failed to take Bakhmut, their main target for weeks. Prigozhin recently repeatedly asked for supplies from Moscow: “Without weapons and ammunition we will be surrounded,” he said, at the same time claiming the successes achieved in the Bakhmut offensive.
Sources suggest that top Russian commanders managed to instill doubts in President Vladimir Putin about Wagner’s military prowess, who had obtained permission from the Kremlin to recruit prisoners with the promise of an early release if they survived six months in the camp. battle. While there is no indication that Prigozhin will redeploy troops to Africa, sources have indicated that operations in this area are likely to receive more attention in the future.