Putin gave responsibility of volunteer fighters to former commander of Wagner Group

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met the senior former commander of the Wagner Army.

The Kremlin has said that Andrei Torshev now works for Russia's Defense Ministry.

Andrei Torshev is a former associate of Wagner's late chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Prigozhin died in a plane crash in August 2023.

Prigozhin unsuccessfully attempted a coup in Russia in June 2023.

Just two months later, in August 2023, he died in an air crash.

The Kremlin said President Putin has asked Torshev to oversee the work of a unit of volunteer fighters in Ukraine.

In reference to the war in Ukraine, President Putin told Torshev that he would oversee 'volunteer units that carry out many war-related tasks.'

"You know about the issues that need to be resolved in advance so that the war work can go on successfully," Putin said.