Ukraine conflict: Russia looking to develop replacement for Wagner Group in Ukraine to 'ensure more control' - MoD

Russia is likely looking to "sponsor and develop" an alternative to the Wagner Group in Ukraine to ensure more control, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

According to the latest intelligence report from the UK’s MoD Russia is looking at "alternative private companies" to the mercenary group – with the hunt for an alternative a result of a high-profile feud between the Russian Ministry of Defence and Wagner Group.

It is unclear who would replace Wagner with no other Russian company approaching Wagner’s size or combat power.

The MoD intelligence report reads: “Russia is likely seeking to sponsor and develop alternative private military companies (PMCs) to eventually replace the Wagner Group PMC in its significant combat role in Ukraine.

"This takes place in the context of the high-profile feud between the Russian Ministry of Defence and Wagner Group. Russia’s military leadership likely wants a replacement PMC that it has more control over.

"However, no other known Russian PMC currently approaches Wagner’s size or combat power.”

It continues: “Russia likely sees continued utility for PMCs in Ukraine because they are less constrained by the limited pay levels and inefficiency which hamper the effectiveness of the regular army.

"Russia’s leadership probably believe heavy casualties amongst PMCs will be better tolerated by Russian society compared to regular military losses.”

Russia is likely looking to "sponsor and develop" an alternative to the Wagner Group in Ukraine to ensure more control, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

The Wagner Group is controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an oligarch with reportedly close links to President Putin with the military contractor spearheading Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine

Prigozhin owned the cafe in St Petersburg that was bombed, leading to the death of pro-Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, with the incident being investigated as a "high-profile murder".

Tatarsky was a guest speaker at an event hosted by the cafe when the bomb went off with Prigozhin handing the cafe over to a patriotic group for meetings.

The MoD had also claimed that thousands of Russian convicts who fought for the Wagner Group are set to be released and pardoned.

An earlier update this year said that Wagner prisoner recruitment "peaked in autumn 2022", with sentences being commuted after six months of service in Ukraine.

The Russian MoD recently released a video of defence minister Sergei Shoigu visiting the frontline, in response to a trip to the frontline from the head of the Wagner Group.