On Sunday, the President of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced his intentions to establish a private military company, that would be considered a competitor with the  "Wagner" military group, after his term as president comes to an end.

"There is no doubt that this kind of professional formation is important and necessary, so I seriously plan to compete with our dear brother Yevgeny Prigozhin [founder of Wagner] and create a private military company," Kadyrov released on his Telegram channel, adding that Wagner highlighted "the need for private military companies, and this type of professional formation is undoubtedly important and necessary."

However, the president expressed his contentment with the Wagner Group's successes in special military operations. 

General Pierre Schelle, French Army Chief of Staff, described the "Wagner" military group as a "fearful opponent" that "will evolve".

On Friday, a Wagner Group aviation commander reported that Ukraine has lost almost all of its experienced pilots throughout the war and currently has a primarily inexperienced air force.

"The enemy's aviation had heavy losses, and, now, there are mostly young people from Instagram. If our people are all experienced, they have, I believe, only youngsters. In aviation, you need experience to work fine. Just pulling a control column will not do," the officer, whose call sign is "Highlander", told journalists. 

Wagner designated as a criminal organization

The US Treasury announced on January 26 that the US has designated Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization. 

That came a week after the Russian Armed Forces managed to take control of the village of Klishchiivka, located near Bakhmut, in the DPR. It also comes two weeks after the takeover of Soledar, which Kimakovsky referred to above, where it was a severe sight of savage battle with the presence of Ukrainian forces alongside Bakhmut.

The founder of the Russian military company Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, which is fighting in the war in Ukraine, said earlier this month that battles for the city of Bakhmut, also known as Artyomovsk, are being fought for each street and house. 

Bakhmut, located north of Donetsk, has been a battleground for months. During the war in Ukraine, it served as a critical transportation hub for Ukrainian troops stationed in Donbass.

Read more: Russia's Wagner announces the takeover of the town of Mykolaivka