Yevgeny Prigozhin (R), who controls the Wagner private military group, with Russian President Vladimir Putin
Yevgeny Prigozhin (R), who controls the Wagner private military group, with Russian President Vladimir Putin

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's infamous Wagner private military company (PMC), may have lost the trust of ally President Vladimir Putin after suffering mounting losses in the war in Ukraine, according to an expert.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Wagner expert Oleksander Kovalenko said Prigozhin lost the Russian president's trust after suffering massive losses in the battle in the town of Soledar in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

"After the battle for Soledar, Yevgeny Prigozhin lost Putin's trust. This is due to the fact that Soledar was captured by Wagner [private military company] PMC at the cost of colossal losses," Kovalenko said.

"In fact, in Soledar Wagner PMCs lost their main backbone and the operation itself was subjected to massive criticism within Russia," he continued.

The battle in Soledar revealed a significant rift between the Wagner group and the Russian Defense Ministry after the latter claimed to have taken control of the salt mining town, making it the largest battlefield success Moscow has seen in months in the war.

"In the evening of 12 January, the city of Soledar, that is of great importance for continuing successful offensive operations in Donetsk direction, was liberated," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. "The capture of Soledar became possible due to constant fire attacks launched at the enemy by Ground-Attack and Army Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Group of Forces," it added.

The Wagner group was notably left out of the statement, prompting senior Wagner commander Andrei Trosehv to call out the Defense Ministry for stealing "other people's achievements." The Wagner group also released a statement three days later, saying it captured Soledar without any help from the Russian army. The Kremlin later refuted the Wagner group's claim, The New York Times reported.

It is unclear who really succeeded in taking over Soledar and how many fighters Prigozhin lost in the battle to take control of the salt mining town. Currently, Wagner fighters are locked in fierce fighting against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the city of Bakhmut, hoping for another victory.

So far, the Wagner group is believed to have lost between 20,000 to 30,000 mercenaries in Bakhmut.

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