There are many "private armies" in the world, but this group has become particularly famous, mainly due to its activities, incl. in Ukraine and links with the Kremlin. The Wagnerites are portrayed as effective and ruthless mercenaries that we should fear. But how much truth is there in that? And where exactly did the Wagner Group come from?
Key people:neo-Nazi and… cook
It is difficult to unequivocally determine who controls the Wagnerites, if such a "function" exists at all. But we can try to think about where the name of this group came from - we will then get to its alleged founder. Who is it? Born in Asbiest, in the Sverdlovsk Region, Dmitry Utkin. The association with asbestos extraction is perfectly appropriate. But why Wagner?
Perhaps some will be surprised, but the Russian was a neo-Nazi. He even has an SS symbol tattooed, and in one of the photos from 2020 he posed freely in a Wehrmacht cap . On the other hand, he is a retired lieutenant colonel of the Russian army, who in 2016, after his military retirement, was awarded the Order of Bravery in 2016. Oh, such a historical paradox. Moving on, Hitler - Utkin's idol - loved the music of Richard Wagner and hence the name of the group.
Dmitry "Wagner" Utkin chose a military career. He fought in both Chechen wars. He worked for the Central Intelligence Directorate, the famous GRU. In 2013, he was even the commander of the 2nd Separate Spetsnaz Brigade, which was stationed in Pechora, near the Estonian border. At some stage he left his fiancée without a word and began to take part in activities conducted by private military corporations . This is how he found himself in the Crimea and Donbas in 2014 as a mercenary commander, which placed him on the list of people subject to US sanctions.
Yevgeny Prigozhin (right) with Vladimir Putin
But who is in charge of the "finance department" of this organization? Most likely, it is Yevgeny Prigozhin, born in 1961. One of the oligarchs associated with Vladimir Putin. Here is a curiosity:Putin himself, once asked about him by an NBC journalist, only stated that he is not among his friends and that it is only a "fixation of facts". He is even said to be Putin's cook or his chef. Why? He provided the Kremlin with catering services and provided food to the Russian army . He started his activity at the beginning of the 90s. First he made ordinary hot dogs, then he switched to fast food points, he even founded their network. Next up were restaurants for the high society.
Like Wagner, he has been subject to US sanctions, primarily for his connections with Ukrainian separatists. Of course, he also does business with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Apparently, he was even involved in the construction of a base near the Ukrainian border. He was also among the thirteen people accused by federal prosecutors of interfering in US political trials , i.e. concretizing in the presidential election of 2016. It is also worth emphasizing here that he was involved in the activities of the Internet Research Agency, which is de facto a factory of Russian internet trolls.
Roots of the Wagner group
The sources of this group should be sought in the Moran Security Group corporation registered in Belize, employing, among others, former Russian soldiers. At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, members of the MSG dealt with, inter alia, by taking ships at the hands of pirates, and protecting them as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Later, after the United States invaded Iraq, they provided protection in that country for the shipments of goods and money between Kurdish territories and Baghdad. On the orders of businessmen from Russia, they also protected oil wells installed in Iraq . MSG itself was also involved in laying the oil pipeline on the Karbala-Basra line. It also provided protection for some VIPs.
In a sense, MSG became the basis for the foundation of the later Wagner Group. In 2012, Slavic Corps Limited was registered in Hong Kong, which included, inter alia, Russian soldiers who took part in the wars in Chechnya, Afghanistan and the Caucasus. The pretext for the creation of the Slavic Corps was the entry of MSG into Syria, in which, however, the parent corporation did not want to operate under its own name. Putin's adviser, Vladislav Surkov, was to contribute to the involvement of MSG in Syria, who believed that Russia should side with the Bashar al-Assad regime, although it should have done so informally.
Wagner Group logo
The Slavic Corps was supposed to look after Russian interests in Syria. The main responsibility for the command was:Vadim Gusev, shareholder of MSG, and Yevgeny Sidor. In 2013, 267 Corps members landed in Syria in Latakia. Officially, they were supposed to protect oil installations. In fact, they also took part in regular fights until something went wrong. The corps was successfully attacked by ISIS in the Homs province, and the obtained Russian documents were made public, which put Russia in a rather difficult situation . The Slavic Corps was then transported back to Russia in chartered planes. After the landing, all members were temporarily arrested because the operation of such organizations is formally illegal in Russia. Ultimately, however, only the above-mentioned two commanders were sentenced to three years.
Establishment and activity of the Wagner group
Dmitry Utkin entered the gap. His Wagner PMC (from Private Military Company) was probably established in 2013 or 2014 with the support of Russian special services and / or the Ministry of Defense. The activity of such formations and their work for Russia is associated with a specific term:they are "ichthones" because officially "their not there" in a given place. Since 2014, the Wagner Group has been (not) present in Crimea in this way, and later supported the activities of separatists from Lugansk and Donbas . The members of the group were responsible for shooting down the Ukrainian Il-76 in 2014. They also took part in the storming of the Lugansk airport.
After operations in Ukraine, the Wagner Group ended up in Syria. Officially, the contracts of recruited mercenaries included geological or oilfield work. This time, at least in the beginning, they were much better prepared than the Slavic Corps. They had mainly Russian military equipment, including even T-90 and T-72 tanks, and their actions were coordinated with the Russian Air Force. The deterioration of the financial condition of Yevgeny Prigozhin - around 2016 - meant that they had to switch to Syrian equipment. Later, as a few years earlier, the Slavic Corps suffered a defeat, only more painful and spectacular.
In recent years, the Wagner group has become famous again in the context of the Central African Republic, where, on the basis of an agreement concluded, they trained the local armed forces
On February 7, 2018, before the battle took place, Prigozhin discussed the attack both with members of the Syrian authorities (who were to offer him a 25% stake in reclaimed oil fields) and with representatives of the Kremlin. The base of the Syrian opposition was to be attacked, but there were also US military personnel who dealt with, inter alia, training the Kurds . The attack was so inconsiderate that the Wagnerites and the Syrians accompanying them did not provide any anti-aircraft support. They became a banal target for the called American planes and helicopters, mainly Apache. Depending on the source, between 20-30 and even 100 Russian mercenaries were killed in the battle.
In recent years, the Wagner group has become famous again in the context of the Central African Republic, in which, on the basis of a concluded agreement, they trained the local armed forces. Part of the remuneration was, for example, the right to exploit diamond and gold mines . Another thing is that it was dangerous to be too concerned about it. This is evidenced by the events of July 30, 2018, when three Russian journalists were killed in the attack, investigating the issue of Wagnerists' involvement in the RCA. The Wagner group also had activities in Sudan, Mali and Mozambique.
In RŚA, the Wagner Group had mainly Russian military equipment
The Wagner Group has become a legend over the years. However, is it justified? Examples of her actions show that their effectiveness in clashes with serious opponents leaves much to be desired. So in this case it seems that we are dealing with an advantage of form over content.