He U.S. government has indicated that it considers the wagner group “does not participate significantly” in the fighting in Ukraine Following the brief rebellion staged on June 24 by the leader of the private security company, Yevgeny Prighozinwhich posed one of the biggest challenges to the power of the Russian president, Vladimir Putinsince he came to power.

“Broadly speaking, at this stage, we do not see the forces of the Wagner Group participating significantly in support of combat operations in Ukraine,” said the press secretary of the United States Department of Defense Pat Ryder. Thus, he has stressed that Washington considers that “most of these forces are still in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia, but on an effective level they are no longer contributing a significant combat capacity.” “Obviously it is something that we will continue to pay attention to, but that is how things are now,” he concluded.

Prigozhin headed on June 24 a rebellion which included the advance of his forces towards the capital, Moscowalthough hours later an agreement was reached which implied the withdrawal of the members of the Wagner Group with a view to their possible integration into the Army and the withdrawal of charges for those involved in the revolt. In this sense, Putin affirmed on Thursday in statements made to the Russian newspaper ‘Kommersant‘ that “the Wagner Group does not exist on a legal level”. “It exists, but not on a legal level,” he said, before stating that a “real legalization” of the company’s status “is a matter to be discussed in the State Duma and in the government.”

“It is not an easy matter,” he acknowledged, although he added that in this case “everything is easy and obvious for Russian society.” “The Wagner Group fighters fought with dignity, so the fact that they were involved in these events is regrettable,” the Russian president said. Putin further indicated that he told Prigozhin during a meeting held days after the rebellion that members of the Wagner Group “can all meet in one place and continue their service and nothing will have changed for them.”

“They will continue to be led by the same person who was their true commander during all this time”, in apparent reference to his person, as head of the Armed Forces, and influencing his proposal that the members of the Wagner Group be integrated into the of the Army to continue with its functions in the framework of the invasion of Ukraine.