Vladimir Putin ‘pulls Russia’s notorious Wagner Group troops’ from Ukraine as Kremlin fears its leaders are becoming ‘too powerful and pose a threat’
- Putin ordered Wagner Group run by Yevgeny Prigozhin to pull out of Ukraine
- Despite being allies it’s reportedly feared he may be plotting against Putin
- READ MORE: Russia’s feared new offensive has already begun, says NATO chief
Vladimir Putin is pulling mercenaries from Russia’s notorious Wagner Group out of Ukraine over fears from the Kremlin that they are becoming ‘too powerful’, reports say.
The squad, which consists of 50,000 troops, have been a key part of Russia’s horrific invasion of Ukraine – fighting in the east of the war-torn nation.
The Russian President, Putin, reportedly became more concerned about his own position before the demotion of Wagner, founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin – which recruits many convicted criminals – was ordered.
Prigozhin has halted in the recruiting of prisoners and he will withdraw soldiers in the next few weeks, sources reportedly claimed.
But these soldiers will reportedly be replaced by up to 300,000 regular Russian troops to fight in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin is pulling mercenaries from Russia’s from the notorious Wagner Group run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, out of Ukraine over fears from the Kremlin that they are becoming ‘too powerful’. Pictured: Yevgeny Prigozhin (left) shows Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) around his factory which produces school means, outside St. Petersburg, Russia in September 2010
Yevgeny Prigozhin (marked) pictured with other Wagner Group fighters at LNR at the beginning of August 2022
While Prigozhin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov are allies of Putin, they are said to be becoming increasingly more powerful.
Both them, as well as Russian General Sergey Surovikin – who was recently demoted – are also suspected as possible plotters against Putin, the Mirror reports.
Russia expert Bruce Jones told the paper that President Putin and Prigozhin have been ‘very close contacts and allies for decades’.
He added: ‘This appears to be a parting of the way after Prigozhin had been openly critical, even abusive to senior military figures in the regular forces.’
He added that his criticism of the conduct of Russia’s regular armed forces and their leaders was an implied slight against the Russian President, ‘who now sees him as a potential rival’.
This comes as Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said today that Russia’s feared new major offensive in Ukraine has already started, warning that Ukraine is using more munitions than the military alliance is producing.
Yevgeny Prigozhin filmed recruiting inmates in one of Russian colonies in September 2022
Russia ‘s feared new major offensive in Ukraine has already started, NATO ‘s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday, and warned that Ukraine is using more munitions than the military alliance is producing. Pictured: A Ukrainian tank rides to its position in the frontline in Bakhmut, Donetsk region on Sunday
‘We see no sign whatsoever that [Russian] president [Vladimir] Putin is preparing for peace … What we see is president Putin and Russia still wanting to control Ukraine’, he said, almost one year after Moscow launched the war in February 2022.
‘We see how they are sending more troops, more weapons, more capabilities.’
Russia is widely thought to be planning a major new offensive to regain momentum in the war, which has been in a stalemate since Ukraine’s counteroffensives last year that recaptured vast swathes of its territory.
Ukraine says it needs main battle tanks, fighter jets and long-range missiles to counter this and to recapture more of its lost territory.
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