Putin planning to replace PMC Wagner with another mercenary group: UK intel

Russia’s Vladimir Putin might be in search of "another private military firm" to take over the shadowy mercenaries paramilitary group 'Wagner' that has been staunchly vocal about the loopholes in the Russian Defence Ministry. In many instances, the group's outspoken founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has lashed out at Russia's top military brasses and the soldiers for trying to siphon off the achievements of his fighters in the neighbouring Ukraine offensive. 

In its war intelligence on April 4, the UK’s Ministry of Defence purported that Russia is “likely seeking to sponsor and develop alternative private military companies [PMC]” in order to replace Prigozhin’s mercenaries group. Wagner's chief, in the last few months, has gone so far as bashing the Russian armed forces for alleged "treason" and has pointed at the territorial losses of who he alleged undertrained troops. In the videos posted on his official press service on Telegram, Prigozhin hailed his fighters for swift advances and gains in the contentious Donbass region. 

“Russian military leadership likely wants a replacement PMC that it has more control over,” British analysts noted in an update. This army, it added, shall approache "Wagner’s size or combat power.”

Wagner’s founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. Credit: AP

Prigozhin slams the Russian ministry for insufficient ammunition provided to the Wagner fighters who he says are at the forefront of the fight for the "fatherland". Wagner's chief, in the last few weeks, also stepped up recruitment of tens of thousands of new fighters from the prisons and across several Russian states. UK believes that Russia understands that the mercenary groups are integral in the battles “because they are less constrained by the limited pay levels and inefficiency which hamper the effectiveness of the regular army”. 

Wagner size of Hungary, Slovakia army

Russia’s high-profile mercenary outfit Wagner is now so huge in size that it rivals the armies of Hungary or Slovakia, Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Eastern Military Command, told the Ukrainian Channel 24. World Bank's data suggests that Slovakia’s Armed Forces currently hosts an estimated 19,000 active personnel, while Hungary’s Armed Forces stand at 40,000. 

In January this year, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy mocked the Russian armed forces and the PMC Wagner mercenaries group for tussling over the alleged victory of the salt mines city of Soledar in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. Russian Defense Ministry and the private mercenaries group PMC Wagner traded barbs over Soledar's victory near Bakhmut and targetted each other about who established control over the town that witnessed a fierce battle between invading troops and the Ukrainian military over the last 10 months.