Specialists at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) note that the rhetoric of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin confirms that he wants to keep the Wagner group as a fighting force, separating it from Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Source: ISW
Details: Analysts point out that Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he intends to keep the Wagner group as a cohesive fighting force, not divide it.
However, he seeks to remove the founder of the PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, from the leadership and forces of Wagner.
Asked directly about the future of the Wagner as a combat unit, Putin continued to stick to the absurd claim that there were no private military companies in Russia.
Putin confirmed that on June 29 he met with Prigozhin and 35 Wagner commanders.
He stated that he offered the Wagner fighters the opportunity to serve under the command of the Wagner commander (call sign “Sedoy”), who had been in charge of the Wagner forces for the past 16 months.
This further confirms the ISW’s earlier assessment that the Kremlin is seeking to keep the Wagner group as a cohesive fighting unit, but separate it from Prigozhin.
US Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said July 14 that Wagner forces are not involved in military operations in Ukraine.
Analysts note that the Belarusian government and independent sources confirmed on July 14 that Wagner group instructors who had previously been stationed in Africa had arrived at training grounds in Belarus.
Regarding the Ukrainian counter-offensive, experts confirmed that the Defense Forces continued operations on at least three sectors of the front on July 14 and reportedly achieved success in some areas.
The report also notes that Russian authorities have detained former Russian Federal Security Service officer Mikhail Polyakov, who is reportedly the administrator of several popular telegram channels covering Kremlin domestic politics.
The specialists summarize: “Channels speculating on the Kremlin’s domestic politics represent a specific niche in the Russian information space, and Polyakov’s detention suggests that the Kremlin may intend to suppress speculation on domestic politics after the Wagner uprising.
The review did not ignore the interview of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valeriy Zaluzhny, who acknowledged that Ukrainian troops are conducting a campaign to block Russian military facilities in Russia.
The Washington Post quotes Zaluzhny as saying that Ukraine is using domestically produced weapons to strike Russian military targets in Russia because of Western concerns about the weapons provided.
Zaluzhny also said that increased Ukrainian indirect fire could pin down Russian forces and minimize Ukrainian casualties, but that Ukraine now depends on ammunition from other countries for this purpose. He also confirmed Ukraine’s intention to liberate Crimea.
ISW key findings for July 14:
Putin has said he intends to keep the Wagner group as a cohesive fighting force rather than divide it, but seeks to remove Prigozhin from the leadership and forces of the PMC. The Belarusian government and independent sources confirmed on July 14 that Wagner instructors who had previously been stationed in Africa had arrived at training grounds in Belarus. The dismissal of the former commander of the 58th combined arms army, Major General Ivan Popov, continues to cause sharp indignation of the Russian military command and civilian leaders. Ukrainian forces continued counter-offensive operations in at least three sectors of the front on 14 July and reportedly made progress in some sectors. Russian troops conducted another series of Shaheed drone strikes across Ukraine on July 14. Russian authorities have detained former FSB officer Mikhail Polyakov, who is reportedly the administrator of several popular Telegram channels covering Kremlin domestic politics. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhny, admitted that Ukrainian troops are conducting a campaign to block Russian military facilities in Russia. Russian and Ukrainian forces continued limited ground attacks along the Svatovo-Kremennaya line. The defense forces continued their ground attacks and reportedly advanced in the Bakhmut area. Ukrainian and Russian forces carried out limited ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk line. Ukrainian defenders continued counter-offensive operations along the border between the western part of Donetsk and eastern Zaporozhye regions and reportedly achieved some success. Ukrainian troops continued counter-offensive operations in the west of the Zaporozhye region and reportedly moved in this direction. Russia continues to make efforts, probably aimed at keeping high-ranking officers in their positions without exceptions regarding the retirement age limit. The Russian occupation authorities continue their efforts to consolidate administrative control over the occupied territories, manipulating the requirements for registration and forced passportization of the occupied population.
2023-07-15 01:50:29
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