His name is Andrei Troshev, combat name “Sedoy” (gray hair), the man who, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, actually led the Wagner mercenaries for the past 16 months and whom he himself had proposed to succeed Yevgeny Prigozhin after the attempted Mutiny of June 24th. This was reported by some Russian media, which quoted the former defense minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Igor Strelkov (Girkin), who gave his name. In an interview with Kommersant, Putin only mentioned the nom de guerre of the commander-in-chief of Wagner. Pro-Wagner Telegram channels have repeatedly reported that Troshev is known by the nickname “Sedoy” and is one of the most senior commanders in Wagner.
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The European Union referred to him as the “Wagner Group chief of staff” in its 2021 sanctions documents. He is also said to have been one of the founders of the mercenary society. “Andrei Troshev is directly involved in the Wagner Group’s military operations in Syria,” the EU said. “He was particularly active in the Deir al-Zor area and made a crucial contribution to the war effort (of Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad, thereby supporting the Syrian regime,” the EU documents said, citing El Pais. The UK also considers Troshev one of Wagner’s top managers.
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According to Russian sources, Troshev was born, like Prigozhin, on April 5, 1962 in Leningrad, the Soviet name for St. Petersburg. Western sanctions documents give April 5, 1953 as the date of birth. It’s unclear why. He fought in Afghanistan during the Soviet Union’s ten-year war. After the fall of the USSR, he served in the North Caucasus with the Russian Army and later with Sobr, a rapid-reaction special unit of the Interior Ministry. Troshev was twice awarded the Order of the Red Star for his service in Afghanistan. In 2016 he received the Hero of Russia medal for the attack on Palmyra (Syria) against Isis. “I know him personally, if he really is. He seems to be. “He’s a career colonel, with quite a lot of combat experience, not stupid, very ready for action, without special talents, but also without special requirements,” said Strelkov about Troshev.
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