Zaluzhnyi says Prigozhin's mutiny did not affect Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi has said that there has been no noticeable change on the battlefield following the mutiny attempt by Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, which took place in Russia last weekend.

He said this in an interview with The Washington Post, Ukrinform reports.

According to Zaluzhnyi, Prigozhin’s Wagner forces had already exited the front line, the fierce battles for Bakhmut, so there was no noticeable change on the battlefield as the rebellion took place.

“We didn't feel that their defense got weaker somewhere or anything… I have a lot of fears, and Wagner is among them. And they’re not the only ones. If we start talking about it now, my head will spin. … Our task is to prepare for the worst and most possible scenarios. And we will try to minimize the possible consequences of what could be,” Zaluzhnyi said.

He also commented on the threat that Russian President Vladimir Putin might deploy a nuclear weapon.

“It doesn’t stop me at all. We are doing our job. All these signals come from outside for some reason: ‘Be afraid of a nuclear strike.’ Well, should we give up?” he said.

As reported, on June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, announced a démarche against the Russian military leadership, in particular against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The column of the Wagner PMC reached Lipetsk region of Russia, which is 420 kilometers from Moscow.

On June 24, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, in coordination with Russian President Putin, held talks with Prigozhin. Following the talks, the private army's leader announced he was turning his forces around from a march toward Moscow.