Putin ally says Wagner advanced so fast as focus was on defending Moscow

Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group pull out of the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to base, in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - One of President Vladimir Putin's allies said on Tuesday that mutineers from the Wagner mercenary group were able to advance so fast towards Moscow because forces loyal to the state had focused on bolstering the defences of the capital.

Renegade mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin said that his fighters marched 780 kilometers in a day to within just 200 kilometers of Moscow on Saturday, in what he said was a "master class" in how the Ukraine war should have been fought by the Russian army.