The 400-member detachment of bloodthirsty mercenaries flew in from Africa with orders to kill Vladimir Green are part of a notorious private militia linked to a series of rapes, robberies, murders and alleged war crimes.
The Wagner group – believed to have a list of 23 key figures, including the Klitschko brothers – is considered by military experts to be available to Vladimir Putinalthough the Kremlin has repeatedly denied this.
The forces have already been actively involved in the supply of weapons, experienced special operations personnel and military training to pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine, according to military sources.
War in Ukraine: the latest
- Ukraine’s defense ministry says Russia has lost 5,300 troops, 29 planes, 29 helicopters and 151 tanks
- Russia’s Defense Ministry admitted for the first time that it had suffered losses, but declined to say how much
- Russia’s economy plunged into free fall as Western sanctions imposed over the weekend took effect, with the ruble falling to its lowest level ever
- Moscow’s central bank has more than doubled interest rates to 20 percent
- Russia orders people and companies to sell 80% of their income in foreign currency, forcing them to buy the ruble to help maintain it
- Moscow Stock Exchange will not open at least 15:00 in an attempt to prevent a total collapse
Some of its operatives were stationed on the Ukrainian border after training at a base run by the GRU – the Kremlin’s military intelligence – near the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, Reuters sources said.
The mercenary army, allegedly led by oligarch Evgeny Prigogine – a close ally of the Russian president, often referred to as “Putin’s cook” – was sent five weeks ago and said it is being offered a huge sum for the mission. The times.
Highly trained operatives are said to be waiting for the Kremlin to shed the green light, and the list of those killed also includes Ukraine’s prime minister, the entire cabinet, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and his brother Vladimir – both boxing champions who have become iconic figures. on the front line of the capital.
However, their plans were shaken after they reached the top echelons of the Ukrainian government on Saturday morning. This prompted Kyiv to declare a 36-hour “hard” curfew, ordering everyone to enter indoors so that soldiers could sweep the streets for Russian saboteurs.
Citizens were warned that they risked being “liquidated” if they were spotted outside during curfew, as they could be presumed to be enemies.
For Western observers, the Wagner Group’s ties to the Kremlin are not in doubt. Putin himself is depicted at a ceremony in the Kremlin with Wagner’s troops, including Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Utkin, the group’s alleged founder.
Vladimir Putin poses with four alleged Wagner officers serving in the Kremlin – who denies any involvement in Russian mercenary groups
Businessman Evgeny Prigogine (pictured elevator) has been dubbed “Putin’s cook” because of his catering business, which provides services to the Kremlin
In 2020, the investigative news site Bellingcat uncovered recordings revealing that Wagner’s famous boss, Evgeny Prigogine, had made 99 calls to Vladimir Putin’s chief of staff in eight months and had frequent talks with senior Kremlin officials.
The Kremlin has once again denied having any influence over Wagner, suggesting that Prigogine provides only catering services to the Russian government.
The Wagner Group is involved in hostilities across Africa, including Syria, Libya, Mozambique and the Central African Republic, noting the close link between their actions and the Kremlin’s own political goals.
In 2019, a man who filmed the torture and beheading of a Syrian prisoner was identified as Stanislav D, a soldier known to have been hired by Wagner in the country to help support Kremlin-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad. .
Who’s on the Wagner Group assassination list?
The Prime Minister Vladimir Zelensky
All his cabinet ministers
Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kvov
His brother Vladimir, who is also a popular figure in the fight against the invaders.
Brothers Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko are two popular figures on Wagner Group’s murder list
The victim was identified by the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta as Mohamed Taha Ismail al-Abdullah, a Syrian national accused of deserting by an army unit loyal to Assad.
The video shows a man lying on the ground and surrounded by a small group of four men, all dressed in camouflage.
The group broke the victim’s legs with a hammer before crushing his chest, beheading him and cutting off the lower arms. They then hung his body by his legs and set his body on fire.
in Libya, BBC received a Samsung tablet owned by a Wagner fighter, which revealed that the group had left unmarked mines in civilian areas – a war crime.
The investigation also revealed a “shopping list” for weapons and military equipment, including four tanks, hundreds of Kalashnikov rifles and a state-of-the-art radar system.
A military analyst said some of the equipment could only come from the Kremlin.
Shocking revelations about the behavior of Wagner’s fighters also surfaced, with a former member openly admitting that he killed prisoners because “no one wants an extra mouthful of food.”
Meanwhile, a Libyan villager described playing dead while his loved ones were killed around him.
Wagner’s appearance in Mali was one of the reasons given by French President Emmanuel Macron for his decision to withdraw 2,400 troops from the country where they fought jihadists.
Macron suspected that the mercenaries had struck a deal with the ruling junta in Mali.
He said Wagner “arrives in Mali with predatory intent, but why?”
“Because the junta, which is in power after two coups, considers them the best partners they can find to defend their power, not to fight terrorism.”
Wagner’s fighters were welcomed in the Central African Republic (CAR) by President Faustin-Arshan Tuadera to help him fight the rebels.
Wagner (pictured in Syria) has conducted covert operations in Africa and the Middle East, including Syria, and most recently they were on the ground in Ukraine to direct Russian tanks to the capital.
During the campaign, both the United Nations and France said they were responsible for raping and robbing unarmed civilians in the country’s rural areas.
In total, the UN has documented more than 500 incidents in the country since July 2020, including sexual violence, extrajudicial killings and torture.
Although inspectors acknowledged that some of the violence was perpetrated by insurgents, CAR Justice Minister Arno Abazene acknowledged for the first time that some abuses had been perpetrated by “Russian instructors”.
Wagner has also been involved in operations against ISIS in Syria and Mozambique.
In Mozambique, seven mercenaries were killed by ISIS-linked extremists, including four who were shot and then beheaded.
Both attacks were ambushes in the northern state of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique, according to military sources.
In 2019, a man who filmed the torture and beheading of a Syrian prisoner was identified as Stanislav D, a soldier known to have been hired by Wagner in the country to help support Kremlin-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad.
The Times reported that between 2,000 and 4,000 Wagner Group mercenaries arrived in Ukraine in January, but with different missions.
Some were sent to rebel-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east of the country – while the 400 tasked with removing Zelensky headed for Kyiv from Belarus.
It is now claimed that the group is tracking Zelenski and his colleagues via their mobile phones, claiming that they know where they are at all times.
Another source claims that the assassins were told to put the brakes on while Putin held “peace talks” with Zelensky this week.
But they have reportedly been informed that the Russian leader has no desire to reach a deal, denouncing the border meeting with Belarus as “smoke and mirrors”.
The news of their assassination plans does not seem to embarrass Zelensky, who admitted that he was “target number one” during an address to the nation, telling them that Russian special forces were pursuing him.
Wagner Group allegedly tracked Zelensky and his colleagues on their mobile phones, claiming to know where they were at all times
When the United States offered to remove it, he told President Joe Biden, “I need ammunition, not transportation.”
Wagner has conducted covert operations in Africa and the Middle East, including Syria, and most recently they were on the ground in Ukraine to direct Russian tanks to the capital.
General Sir Richard Barnes, former Commander of the Joint Force Command, said: “They are very effective because they are difficult to determine.
“They can emerge from the shadows, do a lot of violent things and then disappear again, without it being obvious who is responsible. They are not directly related to the Russian government and are therefore plausible.
Sources said that the militia was informed about Putin’s plans against Ukraine back in December, long before it was told to the Russian army. Soldiers and generals are said to be afraid to oppose the invasion plans, and several have been executed for doing so.
The mercenary army led by oligarch Yevgeny Prigogine, a close ally of the Russian president (pictured), often referred to as “Putin’s cook”), was sent five weeks ago.
