Former Wagner Mercenaries Return to Bakhmut: Collaborating Independently with Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine Claims

According to the Ukrainian military, former fighters of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, who had previously fought in Ukraine, have now reengaged in the conflict in the eastern part of the country. The Wagner mercenaries had previously withdrawn from the city of Bakhmut in May, relinquishing control to the Russian military.

After the failed mutiny by the shady groups in June, security experts anticipated that the Kremlin would aim to fully incorporate the group into the Russian military. On Wednesday, Serhii Cherevatyi, the Deputy Commander of Communications for Ukrainian troops in the East, revealed that the ex-Wagner fighters who had come back to Ukraine were currently employed by the Russian Ministry of Defense or its associated organizations as individuals rather than as a cohesive unit.

"There are currently several hundred of them positioned in various areas on the Eastern Front," Cherevatyi informed CNN. However, he downplayed the significance of their reappearance, stating that Russian forces in Ukraine are currently understaffed, making anyone a valuable addition to their ranks.

Ukrainian soldiers participating in the offensive near the besieged city of Bakhmut informed CNN that former Wagner troops have reappeared in the vicinity.

"One of the drone operators, code-named 'Groove,' revealed to CNN correspondent Fred Pleitgen on Tuesday that Wagner forces have made a comeback. They underwent a quick change in leadership and swiftly returned to this area."

CNN

The post-Prigozhin future of Wagner in the Central African Republic is described by Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Podolyak, Wagner fighters have entered into contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense in order to temporarily fill the Russian gap in the Bakhmut direction and play their final role.

Podolyak, too, was keen not to inflate the return of the former mercenaries.

"Remember: the Wagner PMC no longer exists," Podolyak wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian general in charge of the southern counteroffensive, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, informed CNN recently that Wagner fighters continue to sporadically appear on the frontlines. "It remains a persistent occurrence to see their insignias showing up in different places," he stated.

CNNs Florence Davey-Attlee and Andrew Carey contributed to this report.