Moscow, as part of its plan to subjugate the mercenary force, Russia claims that the Wagner group has transferred thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition to the armed forces of the nation.
Wagner transferred more than 2,000 pieces of equipment and more than 2,500 tons of ammunition, according to a statement from the Russian defense ministry on Wednesday.
A video of officials looking over some of the bulky military equipment allegedly owned by Wagner was released along with the statement.
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The handover follows a deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, under which the mercenary forces and their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief rebellion against Moscow last month, abandoned their “march for justice” on Moscow in exchange for safe passage to exile in Belarus.
A component of the agreement included the dismissal of Prigozhin’s criminal charges.
It’s also possible that Wagner, which has been fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, is withdrawing from the conflict if the weaponry has been handed over.
However, it’s still thought that thousands of Wagner members are based at the group’s camp in Russian-controlled regions of eastern Ukraine.
Following the failed mutiny, Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, declared that Wagner would be dismantled there and that its members could sign contracts with the defense ministry, depart for Belarus, or return home.
Wagner forces were observed on June 23 marching toward Moscow with a variety of anti-aircraft weapons and they asserted that they had shot down a Russian helicopter.
Prigozhin later claimed that the mutiny was not intended to topple the government, despite the fact that Putin had called it treason. According to him, it is intended to “bring to justice” the defense minister and chief of the general staff for what he called their improper actions in Ukraine.
