Yevgeny Prigozhin threatened to march on Moscow in order to remove Russia’s defence minister, an action that infuriated President Vladimir Putin, who vowed to punish those who “betrayed” Russia. But after just 36 hours of this conflict, Prigozhin consented to a deal that would see him move to Belarus.

The Kremlin said, “he would not be prosecuted as a result, and neither would his loyal troops. Those who wished to could sign contracts to join the regular Russian armed forces.”

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It is still unknown whether Yevgeny will continue to oversee any mercenaries and, if so, where they will be based.

A private army of mercenaries known as The Wagner Group has been fighting alongside the Russian army’s regular counterpart in Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Wagner soldiers reportedly participated. The group’s self-description is “private military company,” recent actions by the Russian government were seen as an effort to rein it in.

Wagner Group

The Wagner Group (PMC Wagner) first came to light in 2014 when it backed pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.

It is estimated that there were about 5,000 fighters in this organisation at that time, the majority of them were former members of Russia’s elite regiments and special forces. It was operated primarily in Africa and the Middle East. Since then, it has expanded significantly.

Russia had trouble filling its regular army, so this organisation began aggressively recruiting in 2022.

The US National Security Council stated that at the beginning of this year, about 80% of Wagner’s troops in Ukraine were recruited from prisons.

Despite the fact that mercenary forces are prohibited in Russia, the Wagner Group registered as a business in 2022 and established the new headquarters in St Petersburg.

Wagner Group in Ukraine

The Wagner Group played a significant role in Russia capturing the city of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian soldiers, their fighters were sent to attacks in large numbers over open terrain, where many of them killed.

At first, the Wagner Group’s involvement in the fighting was not acknowledged by the defence ministry. Later, it commended its mercenaries for acting in a “courageous and selfless” manner.