Russia may no longer fund Wagner group fighters: UK MoD
Russia may no longer fund the activities of the mercenary Wagner Group, the British Ministry of Defence has said.
Yevgeny Prigozhin’s military mutiny in Rostov-on-Don on June 24, 2023. A tank with flowers in the muzzle.Photo: Fargoh, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
UK defence officials made the assessment in their latest intelligence update on the war in Ukraine, published on Sunday.
The ministry said the Wagner Group was likely moving towards downsizing and reconfiguring to save on staff salary expenses at a time of financial pressure.
The Russian state has acted against some other business interests of Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin after he led a failed armed rebellion against the Russian military command in late June, the update says.
The British Ministry of Defence noted that if „If the Russian state no longer pays Wagner, the second most plausible paymasters are the Belarusian authorities,” which would be a significant drain on Minsk’s resources.
(ał)
Source: Reuters, gov.uk
