IN focus

Ukraine says Wagner’s mutiny proves Putin’s fragility – but this war ends on the battlefield

Officials believe any fear of Putin preventing Western states from delivering key weaponry had been smashed – and that it is crucial Ukraine keep receiving support from allies. Bel Trew reports from Kyiv

Sunday 25 June 2023 22:16 BST
Comments
The frontline near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut – where Wagner forces were involved in some of the fiercest fighting of the invasion
The frontline near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut – where Wagner forces were involved in some of the fiercest fighting of the invasion (Reuters)

The silence is deafening.

On Saturday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian hotdog-seller turned mercenary, was firing off expletive-riddled voice notes and videos every other hour that were being broadcast across the world.

In them, the chief of Wagner Group, a powerful private military company (PMC), blamed the Russian Ministry of Defence for bombing his troops in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. He accused them of lying to his country about the motivations for going to war in Ukraine, and he vowed to get revenge.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in