“Fortification Complex ‘Wagner Line’ – A Costly Defense Strategy or an Attempt at Influence?”

The governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said earlier that the Russian authorities spent 10 billion rubles to build a line of fortifications along the border of the Belgorod region with Ukraine.

The head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, also previously announced the construction of a fortification complex called the “Wagner Line” across the Belgorod region in October 2022 and directly criticized the Russian bureaucracy for not supporting the construction of the line.

New calls to strengthen defenses along the Russian-Ukrainian border are likely to have little effect, as Russian troops misallocate forces that are better suited to support active offensive operations, manning these fortifications.

The existing fortifications and defensive preparations could do little to prevent the May 22 raid on Belgorod. Prigozhin is likely taking advantage of the media turmoil surrounding this aftermath of the operation to bolster his own influence at home.

Key takeaways from ISW:

• The head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced that the militants had begun handing over their positions in Bakhmut to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
• Russia and Belarus have signed agreements formally advancing preparations for the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
• The Governor of the Belgorod Region of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Gladkov announced that seven territorial defense battalions had been created.
• On the night of May 24-25, Russia launched another massive strike with Shahed-131/136 drones on the territory of Ukraine.
• Russian forces continued limited ground attacks northeast of Kupyansk and south of Kremennaya.
• The occupiers continued limited ground attacks around Bakhmut.
• Russian troops continued ground attacks on the Avdiivka-Donetsk line.
• Russian sources claimed that Russian forces shot down six drones over Crimea.

Recall that on May 22, fighters of the “Russian Volunteer Corps” and the “Freedom of Russia” legion announced the start of an operation in the border areas of the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. The local authorities later announced a counter-terrorist operation regime, but canceled it the very next day, despite the fact that the soldiers did not leave the region.