Russian military leadership likely committed limited higher quality Wagner Group elements to the offensive on Avdiyivka, potentially to reinforce recent limited tactical successes in the area, according to a report of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Thus, on March 25, spokesperson of the Tauride Army, Colonel Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky, said that Ukrainian intelligence predicts the possible appearance of the Wagner group in Avdiyivka direction.

A day after that, a Russian user of the banned Russian social network VK published an obituary, where he announced the death of the Wagner fighter Evgeniy Malgotin in Avdiyivka on March 20. The obituary claims that Malgotin had prior military experience and fought in the 2nd Russian Volunteer Detachment of the Army of the Republika Srpska (commonly known as the Bosnian Serb Army) in 1992.

“Malgotin appears to have been a seasoned fighter, and likely represents the higher caliber of fighter that comprises Wagner’s special operations forces. While Wagner has heavily committed a majority convict-based force to operations near Bakhmut, there is likely a contingent of higher-quality operators at various locations in Ukraine,” ISW noted.

According to their information, the military leadership of the Russian Federation probably decided to deploy certain elements of the Wagner group in Avdiyivka area in recent weeks in order to support the depleted and less qualitative forces of the so-called "DPR".

“If such Wagner fighters have been fighting near Avdiyivka, their involvement may help explain the limited tactical gains made in the area over the past week,” the ISW said.