Russian official: Wagner's Withdrawal Does not Affect Moscow's Combat Capabilities in Ukraine

Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Russian parliament's defense committee, was quoted by the TASS news agency as saying on Monday that the withdrawal of the Wagner Group from Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine does not affect Russia's combat capabilities.

Kartapolov added in his statements to the agency that the Russian army was able to repel a new Ukrainian attack without the "Wagner" fighters. "There will be no need for a new wave of mobilization," Kartapolov said.

In a related context, yesterday (Sunday), Russian state television accused the leader of the "Wagner" group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, of deviating from his destination after taking billions of public money.

"Prigozhin has lost his bearings because of the huge sums of money," said Dmitry Kiselyov, a key voice in the Kremlin's media machine. He added, "The feeling that everything is available appeared a long time ago when (Wagner's) operations began in Syria and Africa." He added that this feeling was "reinforced" after Prigozhin's mercenaries captured the cities of Solidar and Bakhmut in Ukraine this year.