Putin Keeps Changing His Mind on Russia Using Mercenaries

The Kremlin on Friday was unable to explain President Vladimir Putin’s apparent U-turn on using mercenaries in his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Shortly after the Kremlin announced that Putin met with Andrey Troshev, a former commander of the Wagner Group, to discuss the formation of “volunteer units” that can “perform various combat tasks” in Ukraine, reporters questioned whether the notorious mercenary group will be participating in the war again.

This, after Putin said in July that the Wagner Group “does not exist” in accordance to Russian laws and that it would be absorbed in the Russian Defense Ministry following an uprising and march on Moscow led by the group’s late leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on June 24.

The Wagner Group played a crucial role in Russia’s ongoing fight for the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Prior to the Wagner Group’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin had repeatedly denied its existence, claiming to have no knowledge of the organization that provided fighters for hire. Russia had—since the group’s formation in 2014—brushed off any links with the state, pushing out disinformation campaigns to obfuscate the West’s knowledge of the network.

The Kremlin maintained that mercenaries are illegal under Russian law and that private military security companies would also not be permitted under its legislation to offer services outside of Russia.

But Putin changed course days after Prigozhin’s mutiny and admitted to having fully funded the Wagner Group and its operations.

“I want to point out and I want everyone to know about it: The maintenance of the entire Wagner Group was fully provided for by the state,” Putin said. “From the Ministry of Defense, from the state budget, we fully financed this group.”

The Russian president appeared to change his mind just weeks later, according to Russian daily newspaper Kommersant. When asked whether the Wagner Group would remain a fighting unit, Putin appeared to become agitated.

“Well, the Wagner Group does not exist!” Putin said, according to Kommersant. The Russian leader reportedly said there is no law in Russia relating to private military companies.

Reporters questioned Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov on Friday about Putin ordering Troshev to form “volunteer units.” Troshev has been touted as the “successor” to Prigozhin, and the Russian leader said on June 29 that Wagner soldiers who signed contracts with the defense ministry would work under Troshev’s leadership.

Peskov was asked whether Thursday’s meeting between Troshev and Putin means that the Wagner Group will again participate in the war in Ukraine.

“Only the Ministry of Defense can answer this question…therefore, I recommend that you address this question there,” Peskov responded.

Newsweek has contacted Russia’s Defense Ministry for comment via email.

According to U.K. intelligence, in recent weeks, up to hundreds of fighters formerly associated with the Wagner Group have likely started to redeploy to Ukraine as individuals and small groups, fighting for a variety of pro-Russian units.

The British Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update on Friday that while the exact status of the redeploying personnel is unclear, it is likely individuals have transferred to parts of the official Russian Ministry of Defense forces and other private military companies.

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