Russian authorities are preparing to redeploy some of the units of the former "Wagner" group that serve in the Africa Corps, to the Belgorod Region, the Institute for the Study of War (IIV) announced, quoted by Ukrinform, BTA reported.
According to IIV analysts, an informed source reported on April 15 that the Kremlin believes that Lieutenant General Andrey Averyanov of Russia's General Directorate of Military Intelligence (GRU) failed to meet his deadline for the Defense Ministry's developments African Corps.
The source also claimed that authorities are preparing to move unspecified units of the Africa Corps to the Belgorod region.
"The ongoing efforts of the “Wagner“ to recruit staff for its activities in Africa now means recruiting staff to be stationed in the Belgorod region. Soldiers from the Russian Africa Corps were deployed to Niger on April 12, and it remains unclear whether, according to the source, the Africa Corps will completely cease operations in Africa or only some parts of the Africa Corps will be moved to the Russian-Ukrainian border area, the report said. .
IIV continues its assessment that Russian forces are currently taking advantage of the ammunition shortage in Ukraine as a result of blocked US military aid, gaining less substantial tactical advantages, but warns that in the future Russia may achieve more significant and threatening victories, especially west of Bakhmut, if the US continues to withhold aid to Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces' ability to repel the recently intensified Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine has declined due to ammunition shortages and is likely to continue to decline in the future if U.S. military aid remains blocked, the agency said.