News Feed

Wagner Group founder claims that Russia creates defensive lines, 'people's militia' in Belgorod Oblast

1 min read

Wagner Group, the state-backed private military company that has played a key role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is overseeing the fortification of Belgorod Oblast along its border with Ukraine, according to Yevgenii Prigozhin, the group's founder and Russian President Vladimir Putin's close ally.

Wagner Group instructors are also "training citizens who will defend the borders" of Belgorod Oblast, Prigozhin's company Konkord wrote on Russian social media site VKontakte, as reported by Russian media outlets.

Infrastructure in Belgorod has repeatedly come under attack since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but Ukrainian authorities haven't claimed responsibility.

The announcement comes as Prigozhin also spoke of Wagner Group's work to fortify the border of illegally annexed Luhansk Oblast in Ukraine, boasting of the creation of the so-called "Wagner Line," named in the spirit of other famous fortified defensive lines in the 20th century military history.

In his comment, Prigozhin declared his readiness to provide similar assistance "to other regions which need to take care of their own defense."

Avatar
The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

Read more
News Feed

"It is legitimate and lawful for China to conduct normal economic, trade and energy cooperation with all countries around the world, including Russia," China's Foreign Ministry said in response to question about Russian oil purchases posed by Bloomberg. "We will continue to adopt reasonable energy security measures in accordance with our national interests."

"The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that "further details will follow."

Show More