A spokesperson for the Ukrainian army announced on Wednesday that several hundred fighters from the Russian Wagner private military group have returned to eastern Ukraine to fight, but they do not have a significant impact on the battlefield. Since the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on August 23, when a private plane he was on crashed under unclear circumstances, the Kremlin has sought to bring the group under tighter state control. Russian military bloggers reported that some Wagner fighters have returned to Ukraine.
The spokesperson for the eastern military command, Serhiy Cherevaty, stated, "We have observed the presence of several hundred Wagner fighters at most." He added that Wagner fighters are dispersed in various locations and do not form part of a single unit, having little to no impact. Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak stated that Wagner no longer exists. He noted that some fighters have gone to Africa, some are scattered across Russia, and some have contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense and are fighting in the Bakhmut sector. He further asserted that reports of their return aim to distract from news about Ukraine reclaiming two villages near Bakhmut.
