Wagner Group Hands Over Weapons to Russian Army

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13th Jul, 2023. 09:02 pm
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Wagner group mutinied against President Putin last month.
Mutiny was crushed after President Putin’s address to the nation.
Wagner group has handed over thousands of tonnes of weapons.

The Wagner group, a private mercenary group, mutinied against President Vladimir Putin last month. The mutiny was crushed after President Putin’s address to the nation, and the leadership of Russia has since geared up to bring the Wagner group under control.

The Russian defense ministry said that the Wagner group has handed over thousands of tonnes of weapons and ammunition to the regular army. This includes more than 2,000 pieces of equipment, including hundreds of tanks and more than 2,500 tonnes of ammunition.

The mutiny was a major challenge to President Putin’s authority, and the handover of weapons and ammunition is a sign that the Wagner group is now under control.

The handover of arms suggests that the Wagner chief is abiding by the terms of an agreement he made with Kremlin officials. The agreement was mediated by the leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.

There have been claims that the Wagner chief is dead or incarcerated, but these claims have been denied by the Kremlin. A retired four-star US general, Robert Abrams, has said that the meeting between the Wagner chief and President Putin on June 29 never happened. However, the Russian government spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has confirmed that the meeting took place and lasted for three hours.

The handover of arms and the denial of the meeting between the Wagner chief and President Putin suggest that there is still uncertainty about the fate of the Wagner chief. It is possible that he is still alive and abiding by the terms of the agreement, but it is also possible that he is dead or incarcerated.

“The only thing we can say is that the president gave his assessment of the company’s [Wagner’s] actions at the front during the Special Military Operation [in Ukraine] and also gave his assessment of the events of 24 June [the day of the mutiny],” Peskov told reporters.

Putin listened to the commanders’ explanations of what happened and gave them more opportunities to work and fight.

“The commanders outlined their version of what happened [on June 24]. They emphasised that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the supreme commander-in-chief. They also said that they are ready to continue fighting for the Motherland,” said Peskov.

Putin has not fired Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu or Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, despite calls from Yevgeny Prigozhin to do so.

This is evident from the fact that both men have appeared on state TV recently. Putin’s decision to keep Shoigu and Gerasimov in place suggests that he does not believe that they are responsible for the failures of the Russian military in Ukraine.

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently said “Prigozhin’s failed coup attempt put a target on the Russian’s back.”

“I wouldn’t insure his life … Prigozhin clearly took a chance. If you’re going to take on the king, don’t do it with a Nerf bat. He did. It failed,” Pompeo said

Wagner Group Hands Over Weapons to Russian Army

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