The Wagner mercenary group is no longer “participating in any significant capacity in support of combat operations in Ukraine. This is what a Pentagon spokesman declared, a few weeks after the Wanger group attempted a coup in Russia.
"At this stage, we do not see the Wagner forces participating in any significant capacity in support of combat operations in Ukraine," Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said.
Under the deal that ended the June rebellion, Wagner's fighters were told they could join the regular Russian army or go to Belarus with their chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin. But earlier this week, the Kremlin said Putin had met Prigozhin in Moscow just days after the uprising.
Speaking to Russian daily Kommersant on July 13, he said they had the option of "continuing their service" for the regular Russian army.
"They would have been led by the person who has been their real commander all this time," Putin added, referring to himself.
Wagner is believed to have helped Russia annex Crimea in 2014 and has fought in some of the bloodiest recent battles. This group played an important role in the capture of the city in eastern Ukraine, Bakhmut, for Russia.