THE WAGNER GROUP
The Wagner Group is a paramilitary group supported by the Russian government that has operated both domestically and internationally. Informally known as the Wagner Group, the organization's full name is PMC Wagner (Russian: «Ð°Ð½Ðµp», translated as ChVK «Vagner»).
The Wagner Group is thought to have been established in 2014 by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin and former GRU officer Dmitry Utkin. The group has taken part in a number of conflicts, including as the Libyan Civil War, the Syrian Civil War, and the Donbas War in Ukraine.
The Wagner Group is legally against the law in Russia, but because of its intimate ties to the government, it has been able to operate there without consequence. According to rumours, Prigozhin, a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is the organization's financier.
The Wagner Group has been associated with several prominent occurrences in Russia in recent months. The organisation took control of a military command centre in southern Russia in June 2023 and announced its intention to march on Moscow. Utkin, the group's chairman, has also charged Russian military officials with mishandling the conflict in Ukraine.
What is ahead for the Wagner Group in Russia is uncertain. Due to the group's recent acts, it is probable that it will be disbanded or severely restricted by the Russian government. On the other hand, it's also feasible that the group will carry on as usual with impunity.
The Wagner Group has been active in Russia in the following ways:
- Participating in the Ukrainian Donbas War
- securing Russian companies doing business in Africa
- preparing and arming Libyan insurgents who support Russia
- carrying out undercover operations for the Russian government
Human rights organisations have decried The Wagner Group's actions as a contentious organisation. The group has been charged with war crimes such as the use of child soldiers, summary killings, and torture.
The Wagner Group continues to be a significant force in Russia and worldwide despite the controversy. The group's actions serve as a reminder of the Kremlin's readiness to employ proxies in order to further its objectives.
wagner group latest news
Wagner was holding heavy military equipment on Tuesday as Russia was ready to seize control of the mercenary group following its failed revolt.
The weekend rebellion prompted the worst security crisis to hit Russia in decades, casting doubt on President Vladimir Putin's hold on power as his campaign in Ukraine grinds on.
The criminal case against the members of the group's troops has been resolved, according to the Russian FSB on Tuesday.
The transfer of heavy military equipment from the private military corporation Wagner to divisions of the Russian armed forces is now being prepared, according to the defence ministry.
Following a revolt by Wagner mercenaries, Russian President Vladimir Putin told troops gathering at the Kremlin on Tuesday that they had avoided civil war. He also observed a moment of silence for the pilots who had died during the uprising.
The revolt posed the greatest security danger to the Russian government during Putin's more than two-decade tenure, and this speech was the most recent in a string of them.
Putin remarked to the soldiers from the defence, interior, FSB security, and National Guard, "You de facto stopped civil war."
He spoke to them while seated on a crimson carpet in Cathedral Square of the Kremlin while facing men wearing various uniforms.
Behind the longstanding leader stood soldiers brandishing bayonets and the Russian flag.
"You demonstrated your fidelity to the Russian people and the military oath. You demonstrated accountability for the motherland's present and future, he remarked.
Without saying how many pilots died, he observed a moment of silence in memory of those who died in fights with the mutineers.
He added that Moscow had last year paid the Wagner mercenary group, which attempted a failed coup last week, little over $1 billion.
.For fighter salaries and incentive payments, the state gave the Wagner group 86.262 billion rubles (almost $1 billion) between May 2022 and May 2023 alone, according to Mr. Putin.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, meantime, arrived in Belarus on Tuesday as part of an agreement that put an end to his militants' brief uprising against the Russian military, according to state news agency BELTA, citing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
A flight tracking agency said that early on Tuesday, a jet connected to Prigozhin and thought to be transporting him into exile touched down in Belarus from the city of Rostov in southern Russia.
