Another Russian mercenary group shows discontent with the Kremlin: ‘A sign of more to come’

Ukrainian soldiers of the "Skala" battalion enter the embattled village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region on August 25, 2023. The same day, fighters belonging to the Russian mercenary group Rusich had threatened to lay down arms. © Skala battalion via Reuters

At the end of August, Ukraine declared it had finally managed to pierce Russia’s first line of defence after retaking the small village of Robotyne in Ukraine’s south. This key advance coincided with a Russian mercenary group’s threat to stop fighting on Russia’s behalf on the front lines of the village and could be a sign of more anti-Kremlin sentiment brewing among those fighting for Moscow.

“Robotyne has been liberated,” Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar announced on August 28.