FACT CHECK: Video Claims Wagner Leader Says Group Returns To Frontlines In August
A video shared on Facebook claims Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said the mercenary company would return to the frontlines in August.
Verdict: Misleading
The video occurred before the Wagner mutiny. The Russian Ministry of Defense said Wagner has transferred much of its equipment to regular Russian forces.
Fact Check:
Prigozhin led a short, violent mutiny last month before a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ended it, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Facebook video claims to show Prigozhin saying that Wagner Group would return to the frontlines in August. The Facebook video’s caption reads, “Prigozhyn announces that Wagner intends to return to the battlefield on August the 5th. The mysterious drama continues!”
This video, however, occurred before the Wagner mutiny. Through a keyword search, Check Your Fact found that the video is from before Prigozhin started his mutiny. The video was posted to YouTube June 13, while Prigozhin led his mutiny on June 24.
“Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Ulyanovsk – he talked to reporters – shared news and plans for the future. Victoria Chirkova attended the meeting,” reads the description. (RELATED: Did 27,000 Russians Surrender In Ukraine?)
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Wagner had nearly finished transferring much of its heavy equipment over to regular Russian military units, according to Reuters. The ministry claimed that Wagner had transferred 2,000 pieces of heavy equipment and 2,500 tons of equipment, the outlet reported.
Misinformation regarding the ongoing Ukrainian-Russian conflict has been widespread since its start in February 2022. Check Your Fact recently debunked a video allegedly showing a soldier exploding after hitting a tank with an artillery shell.
