Putin discusses Ukraine war with former Prigozhin aide. What does this indicate?

Russian President Vladimir Putin was on Friday (Sep 29) and was seen meeting Andrei Troshev, who is one of the most senior former commanders of the Wagner mercenary group. State media reported that the Russian leader discussed how best to use "volunteer units" in the Ukraine war.

A Kremlin statement noted that Putin has tasked Troshev, the former aide of late Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, to oversee volunteer fighter units in Ukraine.

Putin was quoted as telling Troshev, "At the last meeting we talked about you overseeing the formation of volunteer units that can carry out various tasks, first and foremost of course in the zone of the special military operation."

Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov also attended the meeting, which highlighted the Kremlin's attempt to demonstrate that the state had regained control of the mercenary force following a failed coup in June by Prigozhin, who died with nine other people when a plane flying from Moscow to Saint Petersburg crashed on August 23.

Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, who has travelled over recent months to several countries where Wagner mercenaries have worked, was also present, sitting closest to Putin.

According to the Kremlin, the meeting took place late on Thursday.

Putin said during the meeting that they had spoken about how "volunteer units that can perform various combat tasks, above all, of course, in the zone of the special military operation."

Putin said, "You yourself have been fighting in such a unit for more than a year. You know what it is, how it is done, you know about the issues that need to be resolved in advance so that the combat work goes in the best and most successful way."

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What does this meeting indicate?

A report by the news agency Reuters said that the meeting appears to indicate that Troshev and Yevkurov will now supervise what remains of Wagner, which originally had tens of thousands of soldiers.

During the Russia-Ukraine war, which started last year on Feb 24, Wagner gained prominence for its May capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Wagner's forces withdrew from Ukraine following Bakhmut's defeat.

Russian sources have told Reuters that some of the Wagner fighters have signed up for service with the formal Russian army while many others have moved into different private military companies (PMCs).

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos

(With inputs from agencies)

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