He shored up Russian forces at their most vulnerable and drew Ukraine into a costly fight for Bakhmut, giving Moscow time to build defenses that are slowing Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
The Wagner group mutiny three weeks ago has exposed dissension and fueled a shake-up in the Russian military, as it tries to fend off a Ukrainian advance.
Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces, has not been seen in public since a short-lived mutiny of mercenaries on June 24.