Serbian conscription

In the Battle of Soledad, Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, played an important role in controlling urban areas with its unique strategy.

It is reported that Wagner's boss Prigozhin complained that the Russian regular army tried to swallow the credit for controlling Soledad, which made Zelensky overjoyed and shouted: Russian infighting is a sign of failure.

Russia's backhand public recognition of the important role played by Wagner Group made Wagner, a private military company group, surface, and perhaps strengthened the cooperation between the two sides in the subsequent battle.

Enlightenment to Russian Army

Wagner, with his tacit combat performance, performed well in Soledad's Urban War. Prigozin proudly said that "Wagner" fighters have fought for many years, not only can complete all combat tasks independently, but also have the strictest "five noes" discipline-no plunder, no retreat, no surrender, no abandonment of comrades-in-arms and no dispute with commanders.

Prigozhin believes that the biggest difference between Wagner and the Russian army is that it innovates tactics, avoids bureaucracy, does not restrict combat effectiveness by hard and fast rules, designs tactics according to the actual combat situation on the battlefield, and distributes firepower to assault troops, thus maximizing efficiency.

At first, "Wagner" was not publicly recognized because of its special status, but with its bright spots in the war against Ukraine, it was gradually recognized by many parties.

First, the United States and the West want to put pressure on Wagner Group. Wagner is not only active in the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, but also successful in many parts of the world, which is not a good thing for the Ukrainian side.

Second, to some extent, Wagner's actions point to the reasons for various mistakes and omissions in Russian local mobilization. Although some people were beaten in the face, Wagner's victory has important reference significance for the subsequent strategic actions of the Russian army.

Therefore, it is no wonder that Russia changed coaches during the Cold War. The former commander-in-chief Sulovikin was redefined as a "battlefield knife".

Russian military experts also said that the Russian regular army and the "Wagner" fighters cooperated closely and showed very good complementary efficiency. In order to further improve the experience gained in Soledad's attack, cooperation will be further strengthened.

internal contradictions

However, as a private military company, Wagner has the disadvantages of small number of people and limited weapons. Even a small number of employees will have an impact on Wagner in the battle. At present, "Wagner" also adopts the mode of capturing mercenaries, killing them when retreating, so as to maintain battlefield discipline and recruit new mercenaries in Serbia.

During their visit to Serbia, American government officials once again put pressure on Vucic to take measures to sever the ties between Serbs and Wagner.

It is unknown whether the Russian army can cooperate closely with Wagner, but the Kiev government, which is trying to provoke the relationship between Russian officials and Wagner to find a breakthrough, is actually the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces Zaluzhny who also had conflicts with Zelensky.

Zaluzhny hopes to withdraw his troops and preserve his effective strength. After all, the number of troops that Ukraine can recruit after ten rounds of mobilization is indeed limited. However, Zelensky chose to delay and wait for the support of western weapons. Recently, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Poland have provided a lot of equipment support. When these weapons arrive, they will expand the advantages of the Ukrainian army.

The Russian government publicly acknowledged Wagner's contribution, but it did not rule out and hoped that Wagner would be willing to cooperate, buy time and speed up the action against Ukraine.

Extended reading

Russia surprised westerners by deploying the best weapons to the mercenary Wagner.

A private military organization named "Wagner" is famous in the front line of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. This week, they first announced the news that Russia "liberated" the salt mine town of Soledad.

13, the Russian Ministry of Defence issued an announcement, acknowledging that the process of controlling Soledad was jointly completed by "Russian army" and "soldiers of Wagner Group". This is a rare public recognition and affirmation of the existence and important role of Wagner Group by Russian officials since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Wagner began to recruit in Serbia.

The picture above is a recent report in the British Guardian: Wagner Group of Russia fought a "fierce and bloody battle" for the control of Soledad.

According to the western media, Wagner Group has long been the "frontline commando" of Putin's special military action against Ukraine and the "pioneer" of Russia in the battlefield of Wudong.

Regarding the combat effectiveness of Wagner Group, Kritchenko, deputy battalion commander of Ukrainian troops stationed in Bakhmut, described this in an interview with Washington post in June, 5438+05: "When we kill five of their 10 soldiers at one time, they will quickly replenish 10 soldiers in a few hours. Although they are a small group, their personnel are constantly supplemented, which creates opportunities for them to attack positions frequently.

Since May, the mercenaries of Wagner Group have been fighting in the suburb of Bakhmut, Ukraine, which is an important front line. The Russian Ministry of Defence said on June 38+03 that in the Battle of Soledad, the soldiers of the Wagner Group completed their attack on the Ukrainian army. Controlling Soledad enabled the Russian army to advance to nearby Bakhmut and cut off the supply line of the Ukrainian army. A reporter from the British newspaper The Guardian reported that Wagner is now often used by Russia as a "commando for frontal attack positions", while the recently mobilized Russian recruits are "mostly deployed in defensive positions".

Russian journalist simonov recently posted several pictures on his Telegram account, showing that the Wagner Group troops deployed in Bakhmut have used the latest and most powerful Russian main battle tank: T-90M.

Wagner group troops

Russia has deployed the best equipment for Ukrainian irregular troops, which has surprised westerners. Forbes reporter Axe recently said in an article discussing the relationship between Wagner and Russian military equipment: "T-90 is very precious and not easy to buy. Why did the Kremlin give or sell these tanks to Wagner? "

This may be the reason why Ukrainian officials are eagerly waiting for the new tanks and armored vehicles promised by the United States, France and Germany. British Prime Minister Sunak 65438+1October 14 announced that his country will send the Challenger 2 main battle tank to Ukraine, and Britain may become the first European country to help Ukraine with western-style main battle tanks. It is reported that the serial number of these main battle tanks is 14.

There are indications that Wagner is playing an increasingly important role in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. So, what is the background of this private military group?

According to the Wikipedia website, the founder and actual owner of Wagner Group is Russian businessman Prigozin, who is also known as "Putin's chef" because his catering company is often responsible for hosting dinners for President Putin and foreign dignitaries. But it was not until last September that Prigozin publicly admitted that he was the founder of Wagner. His subsequent statement called Wagner a "patriot group": "I cleaned old weapons, sorted out bulletproof vests, and found experts who could help me. From that moment on, in May of 20 1, 20 14, a group of patriots were born, which became the Wagner Group. "

"Putin's Chef" Prigozin

Otkin, the military leader of Wagner Group, is a veteran who participated in the first and second Chechen wars. Otkin worked for a long time in the special forces of Griu, the secret intelligence agency of the Russian Federation. After retiring, he joined Moran Security Group, a private company founded by Russian veterans, on 20 13, mainly engaged in combating pirates around the world. During his tenure at Moran Security, Otkin also participated in the task of "protecting oil fields and pipelines" in Syria.

According to the Associated Press, the Wagner Group under Prigozin has been active in dozens of countries in recent years, cooperating with governments of various countries to carry out pro-Russian propaganda and other military and political projects. Wagner Group first appeared in Ukraine on 20 14, and participated in Russia's "recycling" of Crimea. In the same year, the organization supported pro-Russian armed forces in Lugansk, Ukraine, and fought against Ukrainian government forces.

From June 5438 to February 2022, Pentagon spokesman Kirby claimed that Wagner Group had "50,000 fighters" in Ukraine, including "40,000 prisoners". Prigozin and his Wagner Group have been sanctioned by the United States for many years, and the United States has recently taken additional measures to try to control Wagner's access to weapons.

"Russia Today" recently opened an online news website in Serbian and published a job advertisement for Wagner to fight in Ukraine. In the advertisement, the organization claimed that it would provide "very attractive" rewards for conscription.

This move was immediately protested by the United States. According to the Associated Press, when the State Council consultant Cha Park Jung Su visited Belgrade on Thursday, he told Serbian President Vucic that he was deeply concerned about the activities of Wagner Group and its attempt to recruit soldiers in Serbia and other parts of the world. "We see that the Wagner Group is seeking to recruit soldiers from Serbia and other places, and we think this is intolerable," he told reporters after the meeting.