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Wagner mercenaries 'crucial' to Ukrainian invasion, 'a boon both to Putin and the Russian military'

The headquarters of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, whose leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led a mutiny over the weekend that rattled President Vladimir Putin's rule, said Monday it was working in "normal mode." The statement from the office came as the fate of Wagner was uncertain after the rebellion and as Russia appeared to take a business-as-usual approach. It said Wagner has "worked for the future of Russia" and thanked its supporters. Wagner's chief Prigozhin has not been seen since Saturday, but the Kremlin said he will be sent to neighbouring Belarus after a Minsk-brokered deal to halt his rebellion. Wagner, whose very existence Moscow denied until its Ukraine offensive, said it had "created opportunities for the (self) realisation of talented people from all over the country". For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24 is joined by Rod Thornton, RAF Division Academic Director and Senior Lecturer at King's College London specialising in the study of the Russian military.