Russia says the Wagner group has handed over thousands of tons of weaponry and ammunition to the country’s army as Moscow plans to bring the mercenary force under its control.
The Russian defense ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that Wagner had transferred more than 2,000 pieces of equipment and over 2,500 tons of ammunition.
The statement was accompanied by a video showing officials inspecting some of the heavy military hardware reportedly belonging to Wagner.
The handover follows a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, under which the mercenary forces and their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who launched a short-lived mutiny against Moscow last month, abandoned what they called a “march for justice” on Moscow by thousands of recruits in exchange for safe passage to exile in Belarus.
Criminal charges against Prigozhin were also dropped as part of the agreement.
The handover of the weaponry could also be a sign that Wagner, which has been fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, is pulling out of the combat.
Thousands of Wagner members, however, are still believed to be based at the group’s camp in Russian controlled areas in eastern Ukraine.
After the aborted mutiny, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wagner would be dismantled in Russia and that its fighters could sign contracts with the defense ministry, leave for Belarus or go home.
During their march toward Moscow on June 23, Wagner forces were seen carrying several types of anti-aircraft weapons and they claimed they had shot down a Russian helicopter.
Putin denounced the mutiny as a treason, but Prigozhin said later that the move was not meant to overthrow the government. He said it was aimed at “bringing to justice” the defense minister and chief of the general staff for what he called their unprofessional actions in Ukraine.
