We've had some questions coming in on what this might mean for Ukraine. Here's our Europe bureau chief Steve Cannane's take:
It is good news for Ukraine. Its armed forces are currently probing the frontlines looking for weaknesses in the early stages of its counteroffensive, and they could well seize on this division.
It was Wagner who was responsible for Russia’s only recent military gain in Ukraine – capturing the city ofBakhmut.
If its troops are now engaged in blockading Russian cities, rather than fighting in Ukraine that can’t be a good thing for Russia’s military campaign.
The morale of Russian troops fighting in Ukraine is already a problem.
They have been poorly led, poorly fed and many must be questioning the validity of their mission. Ukrainian soldiers know what they are fighting for – their nation’s very existence. But what are Russian troops fighting for?
NowYevgeny Prigozhinhas come out and challenged Putin’s premise of the war – that it was about “denazifying” Ukraine and dealing with the supposed threat of NATO.
And what impact might those comments and Prigozhin’s escalation of his attacks on the military high command have on the troops on the ground?
As Sir Lawrence Freedman – Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College London has written today: