Wagner’s Exit from Ukraine Won’t Radically Alter the War’s Course
- At 25,000, group’s combat numbers possibly overestimated
- Wagner impacted small part of front and had largely disengaged
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When troops from Russia’s Wagner group left Ukraine’s battlefields for last weekend’s aborted uprising across the border, officials in Kyiv could barely conceal their joy at the prospect for disarray in Moscow.
But the withdrawal of the Kremlin-funded mercenaries — who provided Russia with some of its most brutal and capable combat units — hasn’t so far made it easier for Ukraine’s high-stakes counteroffensive, and it’s not clear whether it will, according to officials and analysts.