The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Wagner Group greatly reduced 1 year after Prigozhin's death, UK Defense Ministry reports

by Abbey Fenbert August 24, 2024 3:25 AM 2 min read
People visit the grave of Wagner private mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg on Aug. 23, 2024, marking a one-year anniversary of his death. (Olga Maltseva / AFP via Getty Images) 
This audio is created with AI assistance

The number of Wagner Group mercenary personnel is drastically reduced one year after the demise of former leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update on Aug. 23, the one-year anniversary of Prigozhin's death.

Prigozhin and other Wagner leaders died in a mysterious plane crash in Russia on Aug. 23, 2023. The crash came two months after Prigozhin led Wagner troops in a short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin.

Since the death of Prigozhin, the Wagner Group's fighting force has significantly decreased, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.  

"In comparison to its peak personnel count of around 50,000 in 2023, Wagner now likely maintains around 5,000 total personnel across its residual deployments in Belarus and Africa," the ministry said.

Several senior Wagner leaders left the organization in the wake of Prigozhin's death, taking positions in the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian military, and the Chechen Special Forces, the ministry said.

The Wagner Group played a pivotal role in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, leading Moscow's assault in the Battle of Bakhmut. Following Prigozhin's mutiny and death, the mercenary group withdrew from Ukraine and became fragmented, operating in Belarus and some African nations friendly to Russia.

Wagner is particularly active in Mali, where mercenary forces have clashed with anti-government rebels in recent weeks.

Prigozhin’s death latest in a series of unsolved murders in Putin’s Russia. What’s next?
The death of an opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin is not something new in history. More than 20 critics and opponents of Putin have been murdered or died in suspicious circumstances since 2000. However, the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group and o…

News Feed

12:24 PM

Ukraine receives $400 million tranche from IMF.

The funds represent the latest tranche of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, which will provide Kyiv with $15.6 billion in budget support over four years. With the additional $400 million in funding, the program has now distributed $10.1 billion in financing to Ukraine.
8:59 AM

Shooter opens fire on police in Russia's Murmansk.

The man began shooting from the roof of a building at Kolskiy Avenue 10 in the central part of the city, after which the authorities stormed the roof and "neutralized" the attacker, the regional Investigative Committee said.
3:19 PM

More US controversies and cyberattack | Ukraine This Week.

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur discusses how the Trump administration conducts foreign policy as Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is embroiled in several controversies amid ceasefire negotiations. Also, Ukrainians experience yet another cyberattack, this time on the national railway service.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.