MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has met one of the most senior ex-commanders of the Wagner mercenary group, who the Kremlin says now works for the defense ministry.

Andrei Troshev is a former aide of late Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash in August.

His death came two months after Wagner troops briefly marched on Moscow.

President Putin asked Troshev to oversee volunteer fighter units in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

Addressing Troshev, the president said he could "volunteer units that can perform various combat tasks, above all, of course, in the zone of a special military operation", in reference to Ukraine.

"You know about the issues that need to be resolved in advance so that the combat work goes in the best and most successful way," Putin added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the RIA news agency that Troshev "now works in the defence ministry".

The meeting comes as Putin attempts to reassert his authority following Wagner's mutiny in June.

In the space of just 24 hours, Prigozhin staged an insurrection, sending troops into the southern city of Rostov, then further on towards Moscow, before retreating. It was the biggest challenge to Putin's authority in two decades.

The president last month called on all employees of Wagner and other Russian private military contractors to take an oath of allegiance to the Russian state.

Troshev is known by his alias Sedoi, which means "the one with grey hair". He is a well-respected veteran of Russia's wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

He was awarded the Hero of Russia Award for his role in supporting government forces in Syria in 2015 and 2016 as Wagner commander.

Prigozhin and nine others were killed in the crash near Moscow on 23 August.

The Wagner boss was described by many as a "dead man walking" after the failed mutiny.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement. — BBC