The Wagner Group mercenaries close to Putin: who and how many they are, how they came into existence and where they operate
By: VirgilioNotizie | Published on: 04122022 10:28
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Who am I? mercenary of Wagner group? Where are they fighting? How many members count? How much do you earn? The mercenaries are currently fighting alongside the Russians in eastern Ukraine, in the selfproclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. The group, which is a PMC (Private Military Company), numbers approx 10,000 men. These are mainly exmilitary, expolicemen and exRussian security agents, to which a small component of exmilitary from other states, notably Serbia, has been added.
The mercenaries who are part of the Wagner group have an average age between 35 and 55 years. Those who join it must first sign an absolute confidentiality agreement with a term of ten years. That monthly income Recognized members would be around 200,000 rubles, 2,300 euros.
The mercenaries of the Wagner group between the cult of National Socialism and Russian neopaganism
The Wagner group is considered one of the best prepared and fiercest mercenary groups in the world. Since his birth, he has been repeatedly accused by international organizations war crimes. In 2021, the European Union issued a series of restrictive measures against the group and against eight people and three companies associated with it.
The name is inspired by the admiration of Dmitri Valeryevich UtkinLeader and founder of the group, per Richard Wagner and for his work L’anello del Nibelungo. A passion Utkin (born in 1970 and born in Asbest, Siberian Russia) inherited as a staunch admirer Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler, the SS founder.
Utkin often shows up in war zones and immortalizes himself with a helmet identical to that worn by the German army in World War II. In addition, the mercenary leader carries several tattoos with him Nazi symbols like other members of the Wagner group. Such military leaders also supported the idea of the Russian neopaganism which sets fire to the preChristian past of the Rus’ people (the people of Scandinavian origin who lived between Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia in the Middle Ages).
Russian neopaganism values the legend of purity of blood and is paired with it for that reason AntiSemitic Nazi theories. The group’s habits also include holding rites of reconciliation before and after battles.
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For the European Union, Utkin is “responsible for actions which have endangered and threatened the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the countryUkraine and actively carried out these actions”. Furthermore, the EU notes that “in his leadership position within the Wagner group, he was personally present on the battlefield in Ukraine, coordinating and planning the activities of the members”.
The Birth of the Wagner Group and Who’s in Charge
In 2011 in Russia began operation of the Moran Security Group, a company specializing in security services for companies operating outside Russia’s borders. In 2013, another company from the Moran Group emerged, the Slavic Corps, established to recruit and train soldiers to be sent to war zones. In 2014, the Slavonics Corps disbanded and a group of mercenaries led by Dmitry Valeryevich Utkin, a former GRU (Russian Armed Forces Information Service) lieutenant colonel, united and gave birth to the Wagner Group.
Although the international press assumes that the Wagner Group is fighting for Putin, there is no evidence to corroborate the report. What is certain, however, is that in 2018 Utkin attended an event where the Russian President paid homage to veterans of the war in Syria. On this day, “military and civilians who have shown special courage and heroism” were celebrated. It should organize the demonstration Yevgeny Prigozhin“Putin’s cook, As the owner of the catering company that organizes all state events with the President.
Photo source: ANSAYevgeny Prigozhin, “Putin’s Cook
Several analysts believe that Prigozhin is one of the financiers of the Wagner group. Not only that: there are those who ensure that he has the power to make decisions movements of mercenaries. And Utkin? It would be the operational and military leader, the “Arm”.
The Wagner Group’s operations in Crimea, Libya and Syria
The Wagner group had to intervene among the first tasks Crimea, 2014 when he assisted the Russian army in conquering the peninsula. After that, the mercenaries moved to Luhansk, where they joined the proRussian insurgents who have been fighting to unite Russia and eastern Ukraine since 2014.
The military corps led by Utkin would not only fight against them Ukrainian soldiers but also against the separatist forces that were pushing for the region’s independence from both Kyiv and Moscow in order to guarantee Putin control of the area.
Also, according to international analysts, the Wagner Group would also have undertaken several missions false flag, i.e. “disguised” military operations then conducted in disguise. Such as? Enemy image with the aim of stirring up proRussian and antiUkrainian sentiment in the population.
About 5,000 men from the group then fought in Syria alongside President Bashar al Assad’s forces. According to the Economist, the mercenaries played a key role in the retaking of Palmyra in 2017, which fell into the hands of theIS.
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Another area in which the group was active was the Libyawhere the mercenaries helped the militias of Khalifa Haftar. In August 2018, the BBC published an investigation into Wagner mercenaries and their ties to the Kremlin. The report began after the discovery of a Samsung tablet left by a military member. Among the videos stolen from the tablet were images and videos that testified both to the mercenaries’ crimes and their connection to officers of the Russian army.
there BBC He also managed to get in touch with two excombatants who said they did not have to obey any during the military operations entrusted to him Code of Conduct. One of the two also reported that they killed the prisoners because “nobody wants an extra mouth to feed them”.
The activities of the Wagner Group in African countries
In many African countries, like supporter Sergey Sukhankin, an expert at the International Center for Policy Studies in Kyiv and the Jamestown Foundation, soldiers from the Wagner group are being sent to protect the mines diamonds and precious metals. They perform the same task in Syria, where they protect oil pipelines and oil facilities.
The Wagner militiamen were there in 2019 Mozambique north to fight the jihadists, but the operation proved unsuccessful. Their presence was then also recognized in the Central African Republicwhere they aided President FaustinArchange Touadéra’s men in the war against the rebels.
They also performed surgeries mali, where they support the government forces against the jihadists of the Sahel. According to a UN report, the mercenaries were involved with the Malian soldiers in the killing of many civilians, who were sprayed with petrol and burned alive.
Photo source: ANSA