Reference News Network reported on May 27 According to a Reuters report on May 25, the Russian Wagner Group began today to hand over the Bakhmut positions to the Russian regular army. Five days ago, the Wagner Group announced that it had taken full control of the eastern Ukrainian city after the longest and deadliest battle in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Moscow believes the capture of Bakhmut opens the way for advances in the eastern Donbass industrial region. Kiev said the fighting had drawn Russian troops into the city, causing heavy casualties and weakening defenses elsewhere in Moscow.
According to reports, Prigorzhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, has repeatedly accused the Russian regular army of abandoning the positions previously occupied by his soldiers. He said that if necessary, the group will be ready to return to Bakhmut.
In the video, Prigorzhin, standing next to a destroyed residential complex in combat gear, says: “From 5 am today, May 25, until June 1, most of the (Wagner) combat units will return to the rear. camp.” He said taking Bahmut cost him 20,000 fighters.
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malial said on social media that the Wagner Group has handed over positions on the outskirts of Bakhmut to the Russian army, but “Wagner fighters still remain in the urban area.” Her words corroborated Prigozhin’s above statement at least to some extent.
According to a report on the website of the Russian “Expert” weekly magazine on May 25, American journalist Deborah Armstrong wrote in her new article that the Wagner Group, a private military company founded by St. Petersburg entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin, (The company’s name comes from the German composer Richard Wagner – this newspaper’s note) has completely changed the face of modern warfare.
According to Armstrong, the main secret of the Wagner Group’s operational effectiveness was that it was unencumbered by the military bureaucracy inherent in powerful institutions. This helps the group’s “musicians” adapt more quickly to the situation and changes on the battlefield.
“The Wagner Group is at a new level. It is free from the shackles and fetters of all the bureaucracy inherent in national armies. Traditional armies are highly hierarchical, which can make decision-making more difficult and make it difficult to take actions that the enemy does not expect.” Armstrong wrote.
She emphasized: “These advantages help the Wagner Group respond quickly to the situation. The flexible command structure and standardized decision-making process help the group adapt to changing conditions and sudden challenges faster.”
According to the American journalist, another advantage of the Wagner Group is its ability to quickly apply new technologies. The group’s “musicians” get modern combat equipment without complicated paperwork, long lines of negotiations and bureaucratic drag.
“The company cooperates with leading experts in combat, cybersecurity and reconnaissance technology, which allows it to gain tactical and strategic advantages, as well as modern weapons, communication systems and drones. In short, the Wagner Group has realized a modern warfare. Revolution,” Armstrong said.
She also cited comments by Russell Bentley, an American who has joined the Donbass militia since 2014 and fought against the Ukrainian occupation. Bentley believes that the Wagner Group is the most efficient and successful unit in the entire special military operation. He said: “The success of the Wagner Group is not only due to exemplary leadership, but also the result of high-level personnel training.”
Soldiers of the Wagner Group liberated the city of Artemovsk (Bahmut) in the Donetsk region on May 20. Previously, Ukrainian troops who had been arriving there, despite being outnumbered, failed to stop their advance. The Wagner Group forces advanced meter by meter, and finally took control of the city, which was crucial to the Ukrainian defense system, after 224 days of fighting.