Putin apparently wants to put a stop to Wagner boss Prigozhin's claims to power.
The Russian military is now ousting its Wagner mercenaries in the frontline battles in the Ukraine war.
Has Russian President Vladimir Putin finally had enough of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin's striving for power?
So far, Putin's Wagner army has seemed indispensable to Putin in the Ukraine war.
Prigozhin served as a useful partner, doing the dirty work with his mercenaries during the war and filling the gaps in the Russian army.
But according to experts, Prigozhin has been pursuing his own interests for a long time.
There is talk of possible intrigues in the Kremlin.
Putin is now apparently trying to end his dependence on Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries in the Ukraine war.
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Prigozhin and Putin were once allies (photomontage)
© Bai Xueqi/Kay Nietfeld/dpa & IMAGO
Power struggle in the Kremlin: Putin apparently no longer wants success for Prigozhin
According to the
Institute for the Study of War
(ISW), an American think tank, regular Russian military troops are increasingly replacing Prigozhin's Wagner group in the battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
Previously, the Russian offensive on the ground was primarily led by the Wagner mercenaries.
Prigozhin had repeatedly claimed decisive combat successes in the Ukraine war for himself - and presented his private army as superior to the Russian military.
“Wagner units have taken control of the entire Soledar area.
I emphasize that no units other than the Wagner fighters took part in the attack on Soledar," he said, for example, after the Russian capture of Soledar through his own press service.
Putin apparently wants to put an end to this now.
The Russian military command is now apparently trying to take over the leadership role in the front-line battles in the Ukraine war.
Wagner boss Prigozhin stops recruitment in prisons
The importance of the Prigozhin-Wagner group in the Ukraine war - the course and outcome of which may be decisive for Putin's future - may have passed its peak.
This fits in with Prigozhin's announcement yesterday that the Wagner Group had completely stopped recruiting prisoners.
"Yes, indeed, it is so.
The recruitment of prisoners in the PMC [Private Military Company] Wagner is completely stopped.
For those who work for us now, all obligations will be fulfilled," his press service said in response to a request from journalists.
The ISW estimates that the Wagner group will likely continue to recruit from prisons, but on a much more limited scale.
Prisoner recruitment has slowed in recent months, as confirmed by Federal Prison Service statistics, the ISW said.
The decline in the Russian prison population between November 2022 and January 2023 has therefore stabilized.
"This phenomenon is consistent with the general trend that conventional Russian troops are slowly replacing Bachmut's Wagner group, suggesting that the Russian military command may be shifting its dependence on Wagner and therefore using prisoners as cannon fodder," the ISW concludes .
List of rubrics: © Bai Xueqi/Kay Nietfeld/dpa & IMAGO