Wagner insurrection creates opening for Ukrainian counteroffensive

Ukraine‘s highly touted counteroffensive to regain territory seized by Russian invaders had shown little progress in its initial days, but that was before the near-coup in Moscow and the possible removal from the battlefield of thousands of Wagner Group mercenaries, a key backbone of Russian ground operations over the past year.

While Ukrainian troops continue to be slowed by a range of factors, including scores of landmines planted by Russia along the 600-mile front in the country’s east, most military analysts agree the recent upheaval presents an opportunity for Kiev — if only to seize on...