Washington-based think tank Institute of Study of War (ISW) reported that some Wagner group forces are probably returning to combat in the ranks of Russia’s army in Ukraine but the mercenaries will not be capable of shifting the wave in favor of the Russians at the frontlines.
ISW wrote in an assessment, “Disjointed Wagner Group contingents reportedly returning to fight in Ukraine are likely to have a marginal impact on Russian combat capabilities without carrying the full suite of effectiveness Wagner had had as a unitary organization under [former boss] Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s and founder Dmitry Utkin’s leadership.”
Serhiy Haidai, former Luhansk Oblast administration head, said on Saturday that Wagner personnel are working in Luhansk Oblast and across various sectors of the frontline.
ISW stated, “A Wagner-affiliated source claimed that nearly 500 Wagner personnel including those who refused to partake in the Wagner revolt on June 24 have joined a new unnamed organization organized by the former Wagner personnel department head and will likely return to Ukraine to fight on the southern flank of Bakhmut.”
The think tank said that “Wagner forces are fragmented and are improbable to organize into a cohesive fighting force or have an impact on Russian combat capabilities if they return to battling in Ukraine.”
