Wagner group mercenaries handed over to the Russian Defense Ministry a large stockpile of heavy weapons, military equipment and thousands of tons of ammunition on Wednesday.
Among them were T-90 and T-80 tanks, multiple launch rocket systems and numerous artillery mounts, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in Moscow. In addition, Wagner donated 2,500 tons of various types of ammunition and 20,000 firearms, he said.
The military leadership published a video of heavy weapons. Now all military equipment will be serviced, and then “started up for its intended purpose,” Konashenkov said.
Wagner repeatedly seized territories, including the city of Bakhmut, during the aggressive war of Russia against Ukraine, which has been going on for more than 16 months. However, last month Prigozhin provoked an uprising against Moscow.
He ended the uprising on June 24, when his troops were less than 200 kilometers from Moscow, with the mediation of Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko. In return, he and his fighters were promised immunity from prosecution.
A few days later, Prigozhin and dozens of his Wagnerian commanders met with President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin did not provide any details about the results of the meeting. During the uprising, Putin spoke of “treason.”
