Intelligence: Prigozhin doesn’t command Wagner Group’s military operations

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Russian state-backed mercenary Wagner Group, doesn't command combat units fighting in the war against Ukraine, according to Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Intelligence.

"He does not directly command combat units or head the (Wagner) headquarter," Yusov said.

According to Yusov, Prigozhin’s main role is political and informational. His other task is ensuring the funding of Wagner, Yusov added.

Yusov didn't provide information on who commands the Wagner Group's military operations in Ukraine.

Multiple media investigations earlier suggested that Dmitry Utkin, the co-founder of Wagner, has been leading the group's military operations since Wagner's inception. The group was reportedly named after Utkin's callsign, Wagner.

The Wagner Group, Russia’s most high-profile mercenary group, takes part in the battles in the Bakhmut area, eastern Donetsk Oblast, alongside the Russian military.

It has been accused of human rights abuses in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mozambique, including torture and extrajudicial killings.

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Ukraine’s covert operation to take out elite Wagner Group mercenaries in Donbas

The Kyiv Independent