Putin Asks Ex-Wagner Commander to Form ‘Volunteer Units’ for Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Andrey Troshev, a former senior figure in the Wagner paramilitary group, in Moscow on September 28 to discuss the use of volunteer military units in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.Video released by the Kremlin shows Putin speaking to Troshev, and Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov.In July, Troshev was proposed by Putin as the replacement for the late Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. He now works for Russia’s Ministry of Defense, according to Russian media reports that emerged after the September 28 meeting.Troshev is sanctioned by the European Union for his role as chief of staff of Wagner Group Operations in Syria.According to a transcript of the meeting, Putin asked Troshev to organize and oversee volunteer military units to fight in the war in Ukraine.“You know what it is, how it’s done, you know about the issues that need to be resolved in advance so that combat work goes on in the best and most successful way," Putin said, according to a machine translation. Credit: The Kremlin via Storyful