Russian Defence Ministry welcomes Andrei Troshev as Putin meets his 'dream Wagner boss'

Russian President Vlimir Putin sat down for a meeting with Andrei Troshev, who is believed to be his "preferred candidate" to succeed late Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in leing private mercenary group. On night of Thursday, he met Troshev and Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov. 

Troshev, who is Wagner's founding member and Executive Director, met president merely hours before a barrage of Ukrainian drone attacks rained down on Russia's border areas. As per Russian defence ministry, strikes hit a power substation and cut power supplies.

While details of meeting remain undisclosed, it is said to have represented Kremlin's show of force and how it has managed to keep Wagner intact despite botched mutiny of June and mysterious death of Prigozhin in a plane crash in August. 

Days after Wagner fighters marched towards Moscow in a bid to topple Russian military leership, Putin vouched for Troshev to le group and replace Prigozhin, who once was his ally. “You yourself have been fighting in such a unit for more than a year," Putin said, according to local newspaper Kommersant. 

"You know what it is, how it is done, you know about issues that need to be resolved in vance so that combat work goes in best and most successful way," he ded. Recently, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA news agency that Troshev now "works in defence ministry.” 

Wagner fighters reappear in Ukraine's Bakhmut 

Meanwhile, hundreds of Wagner troops me ir way back to Ukraine's eastern city of Bakhmut this week. Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, Serhii Cherevatyi, Deputy Commander of Communications for Ukrainian troops in East, said that fighters were working individually under  Russian Ministry of Defense.

“As of now, re are several hundred of m in our direction, on Eastern Front, in different areas,” he told outlet. Cherevatyi claimed that move displays how Russian forces are "short of everyone re now, so any man is good for m.”

On or hand, Oleksandr Tarnavsky,  Ukrainian general leing sourn counteroffensive, said that Wagner servicemen often appear “here and re” on frontlines. “ fact is that ir bges appear here and re – that’s been constant,” he ded.