The head of Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin has rejected an offer for his fighters to serve as a unit in Russia’s army, according to President Vladimir Putin. Putin told newspapers that many group commanders backed the plan to be led by a senior Wagner figure, but Prigozhin rejected the offer.
These talks were held just days after Wagner’s attempted mutiny on June 23 and 24 that challenged Mr Putin’s authority. In the deal that ended the mutiny, the mercenaries were told they could join the Russian army or go to Belarus. The US military assesses that the group is no longer participating significantly in the combat operations in Ukraine. The talks and comments to the press create an appearance that the Kremlin wants to differentiate between the Wagner chief and regular Wagner fighters. The current whereabouts of Prigozhin are unknown.
Read More: Wagner head Prigozhin rejected offer to join Russia’s army
