Russia-Ukraine war live: ex-Wagner commander who met Putin ‘likely to be considered a traitor by soldiers’

Wagner veterans likely think ex-commander who met Putin ‘a traitor’, says UK MoD

Many veterans of the Wagner mercenary force probably consider former commander Andrei Troshev, who Vladimir Putin met on Thursday, to be a “traitor”, the UK Ministry of Defence says.

In its latest intelligence update, the ministry also said the meeting suggested Moscow had plans to use the mercenary force, including in the global south, but with greater oversight from the Kremlin.

On Friday Russian authorities published footage of the Russian president meeting Troshev, the Wagner Group’s former chief of staff, and tasking him with overseeing and establishing new “volunteer fighting units”, the ministry said. Deputy defence minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was also at the meeting.

Vladimir Putin, left, at the meeting with Andrei Troshev, right, and Yunus-Bek Yevkurov in Moscow. Photograph: Mikhail Metzel/AP

The ministry said in its update, posted on X/Twitter, that around the time of Wagner’s short-lived insurrection in June, Troshev took up a role in Russia’s official security forces and was probably involved in encouraging other Wagner personnel to sign contracts with Russia, contributing to the rebellion.

The ministry said:

Many Wagner veterans likely consider him a traitor.

Yevkurov had recently been pictured touring African states, the ministry said.

Presidential endorsement of Troshev and Yevkurov indicates Russia’s continuing utilisation of volunteer units and private military companies, and planning for the future of Wagner.

It is prepared to draw on the experience of veterans who can demonstrate their loyalty to the state and continued involvement in the global south, but probably with greater oversight from the Kremlin.