Wagner Group military member teaches Belarusian soldiers

Vladimir Putin is facing a serious challenge in his bid to conquer Ukraine as nearly 250,000 Russian soldiers have perished so far in the war.

According to Ukraine’s defence forces, 239,480 Russian invaders were killed between February 24, 2022, and July 19, 2023, including 480 over the past 24 hours. The claims have not been independently verified.

The Russian leader has recently faced numerous challenges in his battle for Ukraine, particularly the mutiny of former ally Yevgenny Prigozhin and his infamous Wagner mercenary group.

Prigozhin mounted a failed mutiny against Moscow in June after a series of disagreements left the warmongering mercenary disillusioned with Putin’s campaign.

Prigozhin ordered his fighters to seize Russian army bases near the Ukraine border after an astonishing escalation in tensions after Prigozhin claimed Russian Defence authorities ordered strikes on Wagner troops.

READ MORE: Putin saves himself from arrest by avoiding key summit in South Africa[LATEST]

While the Kremlin denied the allegations, the Wagner group began a march on Moscow which ended in the same day after Prigozhin agreed terms with Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

Prigozhin is believed to be in Belarus, with Ukraine confirming this week that Wagner troops have arrived in the country.

Although the mutiny failed, it was a huge blow to Putin’s credibility in Russia and the ongoing invasion, with Russia losing thousands of mercenaries in a matter of hours.

The Wagner Group are estimated to have anywhere between 20,000 and 50,000 fighters, although no verifiable figures are available.

With such enormous losses reported in a relatively short space of time, Putin has been forced to increase the maximum age for war mobilisation.

Newly approved laws mean Russian men who have completed their compulsory service can now be redrafted into the army up to the age of 55 – a rise of ten years.

Reservists with the highest ranks can now be called back into service up to the age of 70 rather than 65, and there are also five-year increases in the military eligibility age for senior ranks up to 65 years and junior officers up to 60 years.

Ukrainian allies are also looking to capitalise on Putin’s recent misfortune, with the head of the UK’s MI6 saying he wishes to recruit Russians to join “us as agents to end war”.

On Wednesday MI6 chief Richard Moore called on Russians to challenge the “callous incompetence” of the Kremlin and supply information to Britain’s secret service.

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Don’t miss…
Putin faced with ‘dilemma’ as Ukrainian troops destroy Russian boats on island[REPORT]
Wagner chief Prigozhin has ‘gone for tea with Putin’, says MI6 boss[LATEST]
Wagner Group mercenaries ‘executed’ for not backing Prigozhin’s coup[INSIGHT]

Moore said: “As they witness the venality, infighting and callous incompetence of their leaders – the human factor as its worst – many Russians are wrestling with the same dilemmas as their predecessors did in 1968.

“I invite them to do what others have done this past 18 months and join hands with us.

“Our door is always open … Their secrets will be safe with us and together we will work to bring the bloodshed to an end.”

Moore remarked that Putin is “clearly under pressure” following the dramatic departure of the Wagner Group and Ukraine’s recent counteroffensive successes.

Ukraine’s recent counteroffensive has had some successes, but it has been observed as going at a much slower pace than Ukraine’s previous attempts to push Russia back.

General Mark Milley, chair of the White House Joint Chiefs of Staff said the slow progress is not necessarily a bad thing.

He said: “It is far from a failure. I think that it’s way too early to make that kind of call.

Milley said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive will be slow, continuing: “I think there’s a lot of fighting left to go and I’ll stay with what we said before: This is going to be long. It’s going be hard. It’s going to be bloody,” Milley told reporters.

Source: Read Full Article