Wagner mercenaries refocus on Africa after huge losses in Ukraine amid fall-out ... trends now
Russia's Wagner group is reportedly now turning its focus to Africa after suffering heavy losses in Ukraine amid the mercenary group boss' fall-out with Vladimir Putin.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the group, has been in a long-running dispute with the Kremlin, particularly defence minister Sergei Shoigu. He has accused Shoigu of blocking the supply of ammunition and personnel to his private military group.
Prigozhin and his mercenary group are currently battling in Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Fighting in the area has raged for eight months, producing some of the bloodiest and longest battles of the war.
The brutal conflict has seen Prigozhin lose thousands of men from the frontline, either killed or wounded. Many of the convicts who signed up to join the ranks of the Wagner group have also been pardoned after serving six months in the military. Prigozhin has reportedly been banned by the Kremlin from refreshing troops with more prisoner recruits.
The change of tact from Wagner follows reported fears within the Kremlin that following the Ukraine war, Prigozhin could try and unite his mercenaries to turn on Putin and seize power in Russian outskirt regions.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, addresses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asking him to withdraw the remaining Ukrainian forces from Bakhmut, March 3
Russia's Wagner group is reportedly now turning its focus to Africa after suffering heavy losses in Ukraine amid the mercenary group boss' fall-out with Vladimir Putin (pictured)
Prigozhin and his mercenary group are currently battling in Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Pictured: Russian tank explodes after being hit by bomb dropped from a drone in Ukraine
News of the Wagner group's shift of focus - reported by Bloomberg who cited sources close with the matter - will likely concern Moscow after Kyiv said they were now ready to launch a fresh
