Sullivan was speaking at the Aspen Security Conference on Friday, and his statement confirmed what Wagner commander Yevgeny Prigozhin had said earlier.
And Prigozhin appeared in a video clip, on Wednesday, saying that the “Wagner” fighters will not continue their participation in the war in Ukraine.
The commander of the group ordered his fighters to gather their strength to participate in operations in Africa, without giving further details.
Wagner’s demise
- On Thursday, Belarus announced that “Wagner” fighters are training with the Belarusian special forces.
- The group’s fighters were forced to leave Russia for Belarus, Moscow’s ally, after the failure of their rebellion against the Russian military leadership at the end of last June.
- Last week, Minsk reported that Wagner fighters were training Belarusian soldiers at a training site southeast of the capital.
- Wagner fighters played a major role in the Russian attack on Ukraine, especially on the front line in the bloody battle for control of Bakhmut (east), which Moscow declared its fall in May after months of siege that destroyed the city.
- On June 24, when the conflict reached its climax with the Russian General Staff, “Wagner” fighters occupied an army headquarters in Rostov, southern Russia, for hours, and traveled hundreds of kilometers towards Moscow, in a rebellion that shook the pillars of Russian power.
- Their rebellion ended on the evening of June 24 with an agreement stating that Prigozhin would leave for Belarus, and the “Wagner” fighters were offered to join the Russian army, return to civilian life, or leave with their commander to Belarus.
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