Despite pressure from Russian MoD, Wagner is being strengthened with modern means to capture Bakhmut — ISW

This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

It is noted that the news of the reassignment of the commander of the Russian Airborne troops (VDV), Mikhail Teplinsky, indicates that the Russian Ministry of Defense is eager to work more closely with the Wagner group to complete the capture of Bakhmut, despite the obvious tension between Prigozhin and the leadership of the Ministry of Defense.

Prigozhin has scaled back his outspoken attacks on the Defense Ministry in recent days, experts noted.

In turn, Russian military bloggers report that Wagner forces are using T-90 tanks in Bakhmut, indicating that the Russian leadership has allocated the PMC more modern means to capture the city.

"Teplinsky’s reappointment is therefore likely also an attempt by the Russian MoD to posture itself better to work with Wagner to finish the task of taking Bakhmut," the Institute's report says.

However, the Russian military command appears to be increasingly shifting responsibility for offensive operations in Ukraine to the Russian Airborne troops.

Analysts noted: it is unlikely that Teplinsky will be able to restore the previous status of VDV as an elite division due to significant losses in Ukraine.

"Widespread losses to previously elite units that are now being restaffed with poorly trained mobilized personnel are likely to have long-term impacts on the combat effectiveness of these units, and the replacement of a single commander is highly unlikely to be able to solve such pervasive damage," the report said.

ISW speculates that Wagner's PMC is trying to get mobilized Russian servicemen to sign contracts with Wagner, possibly in an attempt to compensate for losses in Ukraine.

An example is that mobilized servicemen from the Moscow and Ivanovo regions of the Russian Federation, in a public complaint published on April 16, claim that Wagner group forced 170 mobilized soldiers to sign contracts.

Earlier, Russian sources claimed that 100 people mobilized in the Luhansk region went missing after they refused to sign contracts with Wagner. Geolocation footage published later shows how Prigozhin's fighters detain the mobilized in Kadiivka, before taking them to training.

"The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) may allow mobilized personnel to fulfill their service obligations by signing contracts with Wagner, although the status of mobilized personnel initially assigned to conventional Russian units who have signed contracts with Wagner is unclear," the experts add.

• British intelligence reported that Russia intensified its attack on Bakhmut, Wagner soldiers and paratroopers were involved.

• Serhiy Cherevatyi, the AFU Eastern Group spokesman, emphasized: Russia threw the regular forces in Bakhmut, but Ukraine’s forces declassify "elite" paratroopers every day.