"Putin's Meeting with Former Wagner Commander Signals New Plan for Ukraine War"

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Andrei Troshev, a former senior commander of the Wagner mercenary group, who now works for the Russian defence ministry. Putin asked Troshev to oversee volunteer fighter units in Ukraine, indicating Russia's continued involvement in the conflict. The meeting is seen as an attempt by Putin to assert his authority following Wagner's mutiny earlier this year. Troshev, known by his alias Sedoi, is a respected veteran of Russia's wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya and was awarded the Hero of Russia Award for his role in supporting government forces in Syria. The Kremlin denies any involvement in the plane crash that killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and nine others in August.