A few hundred former Wagner soldiers are fighting in Ukraine, even after their former leader’s death. Wagner is a Private Military Company(PMC), meaning they are mercenaries, and help the Russian army for pay. A month ago, on August 23rd, their leader, Yeggeny Prighozin was found dead after a plane crash. This led to an overall decline in the group due to the lack of leadership. Before his death, Wagner was helping Russia with their 2022, and previous invasions of Ukraine. This led to them being sanctioned by many countries and marked as a terrorist organization. The prominent place they were attacking in Ukraine was the city of Bakhmut, where they were the main force for the Russian attack. They exited the area back in May, letting the Russian military control it. This same place is where the former Wagner soldiers are currently attacking. The former Wagner soldiers are actually linked directly to the Russian military, instead of a PMC. The switch from Wagner to the Russian military may show a further link between the two organizations. There have been more Wagner soldiers, but they have appeared rarely, popping up with the Russian military. With how close these two organizations have been, and without the leadership of Prighozin, we may likely see the merging of Wagner and the Russian military soon.
