Wagner de facto disarmament Russian troops receive tanks, missiles, ammunition, etc.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on April 12 that the Russian military had received more than 2,000 weapons and ammunition, including tanks and missiles, from the rebel private military company Wagner. This constitutes de facto disarmament. The Wagner fighters were expected to head for Belarus, which is part of a coalition with Russia, after the rebellion was called off, but their future prospects are uncertain.

According to the Defense Ministry, the weapons include main Russian tanks such as the T90, T80, and T72B3, multiple rocket launchers, and surface-to-air missiles.

In addition, they also received more than 2,500 tons of ammunition and more than 20,000 small arms, including automatic rifles. Before the uprising, Wagner founder Evgeny Prigozhin complained that the supply of ammunition from the Russian military to Wagner had been cut off.

He stated that all equipment would be used again after being serviced at rear bases. From now on, Wagner fighters who remain in Russia will be contracted by the Defense Ministry and operate under its umbrella.

Prigozhin declared an insurgency on June 23, but through the mediation of Belarusian President Lukashenko, he called it off and withdrew on June 24. He was expected to head to Belarus, but Lukashenko said on June 6 of this month that he was in Russia. He also said that the issue of Wagner's relocation to Belarus had not been finalized.