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The Wagner Group has been somewhat successful in their forays in Ukraine, while the troops commanded by Russian Generals have been less than successful in some operations

Prigozhin needs to prove the value of Wagner to both Putin and potential foreign clients so that's why he wanted to take sole credit for otherwise strategically unimportant Soledar / Bakhmut, but it led to Wagner-U (mostly convicts) being basically sacrificed as well as to problems with Russian military who didn't feel appreciated for all the artillery and aerial cover:

Kremlin Admits 'Putin's Chef' Might Be Assassinated Soon

Putin cracks down as nationalists criticize war effort

Russia's 'Elite' Shadow Army Edges Into Complete Collapse:

The private Russian fighting corps appear to be teetering on the brink of a dramatic meltdown.


While Wagner Group recruited approximately 50,000 fighters in recent months, including from prisons, only 10,000 fighters remain fighting at the front for Wagner, according to The Moscow Times. (-- that's RIF of about 80%)


The statistic cited is just the latest indication that Wagner's fighting force is falling apart in Ukraine, even as Russia works to secure wins on the battlefield. Wagner Group fighters have been involved in the heavy fighting in Soledar in recent weeks. Wagner has also been largely responsible for gains made in Bakhmut nearby, "at an extraordinary cost."


The U.S. DoD has also assessed that Russian forces and Wagner have both suffered a tremendous losses. It is "significantly over 100,000 now. The Russians have suffered a tremendous amount of casualties in their military, and that includes their regular military and also their mercenaries, the Wagner Group, and other type forces that are fighting with the Russians," Gen. Mark Milley said.


News of Wagner's disintegration comes as the mercenary group is experiencing trouble with the Kremlin as well. Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose military has faltered in Ukraine due to logistics and command and control failures, has been leaning on Wagner Group's fighting power.

Wagner Group Leadership in Disarray. The leader of the Wagner Group was locked in a spat with a nationalist rival as the Russian mercenary organization continued to suffer heavy losses in Ukraine

Girkin accused Prigozhin of "deliberately misconstruing" criticism of his political ambitions as an attack on the Wagner Group forces fighting in Ukraine. Girkin also accused Prigozhin of diverting personnel to Africa and Syria "instead of deploying his mercenaries to win the war in Ukraine."


Wagner Group leader denied that he has any political ambitions and claimed that "his team attempted to bribe Girkin in an effort to silence his criticism of Wagner forces."

Russia's Wagner Group Accused of Ripping Off Grieving Families - "I buried my son, and haven't gotten any kind of payment for him yet, not a cent! I will not be quiet about this!"

"Putin's Chef" sued 560 times for supplying Russian army with rotten food
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Headlines and news from the front:

Nearly 5,500 Russians killed last week in war
Ukraine shoots down three Russian helicopters in 30 minutes
Putin throwing "meat into the grinder" as war losses grow: Former lawmaker
Russia using "meat waves" to expose Ukraine's military positions
Russia may be carrying out "spoiling attacks" on Ukraine front line
Russia may run out of missiles in three months: Intel
Russian new T-14 Armata battle tanks plagued with problems: Russian soldiers rejecting new T-14 Armata battle tanks over quality, "poor condition" - The tank was called "revolutionary" shortly after it was unveiled in 2015 but has been dogged with production delays and manufacturing issues since
German arms group: We'll send 139 Leopard tanks to Ukraine, just say when
Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev admits Ukraine has enough weapons to try to 'destroy us'

Putin cracks down as nationalists criticize war effort
Putin fires Kherson general Mikhail Teplinsky as divisions fester in Russian leadership
Russia's Communists take to the streets demanding Putin be ousted
Russian authorities thwart protests from wives and mothers of recruits
Russia proposes restrictions on citizens trying to leave country

Russia is now going after Ukraine's time zone: The four Russian-annexed regions of Ukraine "will switch to Moscow time," Russia's ministry said.
Russia accused of setting up concentration camps in annexed territories
Russia is forcing Ukrainian children in occupied territories into adoption, issuing Russian passports
Russia destroys 171 medical facilities in 11 months of war
Russia wants to make Ukraine 'ungovernable wreck': Viktor Orban
Russian State TV evokes Holocaust, claims Baltic states "governed by Nazis"

Russia and Iran weigh weapons deal for Mi-28 and Ka-52 attack helicopters
Russia, Iran Sanctions-Proof Railroad at Risk in Armenia-Azerbaijan Crisis
Helicopter used to transport Putin, top officials crash lands in Moscow: Mi-8 helicopter hit the ground at Vnukovo airport with its blades and tail

Russian TV discusses if economy now "equal" to Iran, North Korea or Cuba

China-U.S. war odds "decreasing" as Xi watches Russia

Russia Could Collapse Into 'New States' After Ukrainian Victory: Economist Timothy Ash of Chatham House
* Given that Russia is currently divided into a total of 89 regions - including 21 republics, 6 federal territories, 2 federal cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg), 49 regions, 1 autonomous region and 10 autonomous areas - Ash predicts that there could be the creation of 20 new states if the Russia Federation collapses.
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