The killing of Wagner's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin unexpectedly provided the Russian Ministry of Defense and the government with a new opportunity to restructure this quasi-military organization.

Western analysts saw that Prigozhin's bloody end would help restore Putin's image as a strong man and intelligent fox capable of getting rid of his opponents.

In an unexpected move, Belarusian President Lukashenko invited the Wagner Group to train his army in a speech delivered on June 30, 2023, on the country's Independence Day.

A possible motive for Prigozhin's rebellion is orders from the Ministry of Defense, which Putin supports and which Prigozhin rejected, that soldiers from private companies sign contracts with it by next July.

Wagner mercenaries chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been bitterly critical of the Russian Defense Ministry for months, accusing it of deliberately starving his men of ammunition.