The citizens of Kiev are “very happy” about the rebellion of the Russian Wagner militia and hope that this uprising will weaken the Russian troops and favor the counter-offensive to recover the territories lost since the beginning of the war, they said in interviews conducted by AFP in the center of the capital.
The inhabitants of Kiev express their surprise at the speed of events and consider this to be a positive thing for Ukraine. They expect that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be forced to withdraw some troops to get help elsewhere, which could make the situation easier for Ukrainian forces in their fight against the Russian occupation.
Some Kiev residents find it amusing that Wagner militia leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has rebelled against regular Russian troops. They feel that they simply have to watch the battle between the Russian army and the Wagner group and hope that they will be left alone while they fight each other.
Some believe that this situation will have an impact on the fighting, especially in the Bajmut region, which was under the control of the Wagner group and was considered dangerous for Ukrainian troops. The withdrawal of the paramilitaries from the area has allowed the Russian regular army to take their place, which has given the Ukrainians the opportunity to attack the flanks of the city.
The citizens of Kiev are hopeful that Wagner’s rebellion will weaken Russian troops and Russia’s internal political forces. They believe that the Ukrainian armed forces have a chance of success and that this situation is fantastic for the advancement of the conflict.
In general, Kiev residents want the conflict between the Wagner group and the Russian army to put an end to the war and the suffering they have experienced. However, on the night of Friday and Saturday, Russian air strikes occurred in several parts of the country, resulting in the deaths of three people and the wounding of eleven others in the Ukrainian capital.