The Russian mercenary group Wagner is notorious. In Ukraine, it is now acting more like a normal combat unit and is coordinating with the Russian military, writes the British Ministry of Defense. The changed role should have a reason above all.
In the war against Ukraine, the Wagner mercenary group apparently operated more and more like a normal unit of the Russian army. This is what the British Ministry of Defense writes, citing military intelligence. Like normal army units, the Wagner troops were probably assigned responsibility for certain areas of the front line, according to a tweet from the ministry. "This is a significant change from the group's previous deployment since 2015, when it typically conducted missions distinct from open, large-scale regular Russian military activities."
This cooperation refutes the statements of the Russian authorities, who tried to deny any links between the private army and the Russian state. The British also give a reason for the changed role of the mercenaries: "Wagner's role has probably changed because the Russian Ministry of Defense has a major shortage of combat infantry. However, it is highly unlikely that Wagner forces will be sufficient to combat the decisively influence the course of the war."
The Wagner Group has been involved in numerous war zones for years - including in Syria, Libya and Mali. The mercenaries are repeatedly accused of serious human rights violations. As the British newspaper "Times" reported at the end of February, Wagner mercenaries are said to have tried to track down and kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the beginning of the war. Mercenaries were already active in Ukraine weeks before the outbreak of war. They should also eliminate the government in Kyiv and prepare the ground for a Russian takeover of power in the Ukrainian capital, the newspaper wrote at the time.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously stated that Wagner and similar organizations were neither paid by the Russian state nor did they represent Russia. For the Kremlin, however, the use of the mercenaries seems to be worthwhile. "By sending mercenaries, the state saves on the pension entitlements and salaries it has to pay to regular army soldiers," writes a former mercenary in a book about the Shadow Army. "And it also makes it possible to make the dead disappear."
