During the 2014 annexation of Crimea, Russian sympathizers were filmed and
photographed operating alongside masked, armed soldiers wearing no official military uniforms.
In the months that followed, these very same men began appearing in Syria, Libya,
and numerous African nations. Although originally clandestine,
they now donned a distinctive skull patch designated 'Wagner.'
Their Russian origins were evident, yet there was no overt affiliation with the
Russian military or government. At least, not officially. As the years rolled by,
the shadowy group managed to amass vast amounts of money and influence.
When President Vladimir Putin launched his Special
Military Operation against Ukraine in February 2022, the group found itself
thrust into the global spotlight due to its active involvement in the conflict.
Combat footage of these operators quickly took over the media, prompting a host of
analysts to scrutinize the relationship between this private military corporation,
known as the Wagner Group, and Putin's Russian government…
Dark Origins
During Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, Russian sympathizers were
seen operating alongside paramilitary forces that wore no official uniforms or patches.
They worked in coordination with the Russian Army and used similar equipment. Their appearance and
coordination suggested the workings of a private military company or PMC integrated with Putin's
forces. The local Ukrainian populace aptly named these anonymous operatives the "Little Green Men.
Footage and pictures showed them politely disarming the Ukrainian military and imposing
order in the occupied territory without using excessive force. The unidentified personnel,
which wore masks to hide their identities, were later labeled as the Wagner Group,
a PMC composed of ex-military forces from the Russian Federation.
According to several media outlets, the origin of the name is related to one of its founders,
Dmitriy Valeryevich Utkin, who reportedly admired the Third
Reich. His call sign was Wagner, after the renowned German composer.
In a turn of events, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, a former chef for Putin who had since become a
successful businessman, elevated the PMC to unprecedented levels.
This was achieved by restructuring the Wagner Group as a consultancy firm,
operating from its ostentatious headquarters located in Saint Petersburg.
Despite being classified as a PMC, the Wagner Group is a conglomerate
of various companies. This structure complicates efforts to hold the group
accountable for its actions and affords it a degree of plausible deniability.
Furthermore, PMCs and mercenaries are illegal in Russia, which has led
the international community to conclude that Wagner has ties with the Russian government,
as it could not exist without its consent.
Putin's Shadow Army
Kevin Limonier, a Wagner Group specialist from the University of Paris 8, considers that Wagner is a
brand, not a group, claiming that it has never existed as an official structure. In his words,
Wagner is: (QUOTE) "A galaxy of organizations with different names that are hard to trace."
According to several specialists, Pregozhin or Wagner specializes in three activities
from which the organization acquires funds. The first and most obvious one is the security and
mercenary business. The others, as Limonier puts it, are: (QUOTE) "The disinformation
business and information warfare, and [...] the exploitation of natural resources in Africa."
As far back as 2014, Wagner Group has been involved in the Central African Republic,
Syria, Libya, Sudan, Mozambique, Mali, and even Venezuela on the American continent,
and its earnings have grown exponentially since it started operating in Africa, where it has
provided security services to politicians and law enforcement to local governments.
In an interview with the New York Times, Sorcha MacLeod, chair of the United Nations,
said: (QUOTE): “There’s a trend or pattern around what happens when
Wagner is involved in an armed conflict. It is prolonged, involves heavy weaponry,
civilians are impacted in a substantial way, human rights violations and war crimes
increase substantially, and there’s no access to justice for victims.”
Wagner arrived in Syria in late 2015, serving the local government by engaging in combat against
ISIS and insurgent forces. It has also provided training to the local military, and some members
have been filmed and photographed providing security escort to President Bashar al-Assad.
The same has occurred in Libya, where Wagner elements have trained national
forces and supported the government. During the Venezuelan presidential crisis of 2019,
the PMC protected President Maduro from US-backed opposition forces.
The Wagner Group has also drawn international scrutiny,
especially from France, due to its significant influence and operations in African countries,
many of which are former French colonies. Besides Sudan and Madagascar,
the PMC maintains ongoing operations in the Central African Republic and Mali.
In 2021, reports surfaced about a potential agreement between the Malian government and
the Wagner Group. This conjecture was fueled further by US intelligence images
of a base under construction, insinuating the possibility of a prolonged Russian presence.
Special Military Operation
The Wagner Group has been used differently since President Putin launched his Special
Military Operation against Ukraine in February 2022. From a small-elite group
of mercenaries operating worldwide, it now began operating on a larger scale in Ukraine.
The PMC captured the town of Soledar, followed by Bakhmut.
As of January 2023, United Kingdom intelligence estimates the paramilitary unit has some
50,000 operating in Ukraine. Moreover, the US government has claimed that 90 percent of them
are Russian convicts who have been promised freedom if they serve six months in combat.
Although the actual numbers are debatable, there is footage of
Prigozhin addressing prisoners about their enlistment and the war in Ukraine.
He even claimed that, for now, Wagner has stopped recruiting prisoners.
Footage has also surfaced about Russian prisoners of war claiming to belong to
the Wagner Group while being interrogated by the Ukrainian authorities. Furthermore,
there is footage of convicts being judged and punished by the PMC for withdrawing from combat.
In early April 2023, additional footage appeared on the web from some Wagner members
explaining how they were ordered to commit human rights abuses when capturing towns.
Uncertain Future
The Center for Strategic International Studies or CSIS has explained that Wagner's massive
recruitment is not about broad, efficient military strategy but rather employing men
as cannon fodder for operations destined to fail or to test Ukrainian defenses.
With Russia's stalemate in Ukraine, and the rising toll of casualties,
Prigozhin's relationship with high-ranking officers from the Russian Army began to crumble.
In February 2023, he accused them of treason because they had failed to
supply his men with proper military equipment to operate adequately.
To further alienate the Russian military’s top brass, the oligarch asserted in an early
April 2023 blog post that a swift end to the war in Ukraine would be in Russia's
best interest. He wrote: (QUOTE) "The ideal option would be to announce the end of the
special military operation and declare that Russia has achieved all of its planned goals,
and, in some respects, we really have achieved them."
The 61-year-old's comments came on the heels of
the Wagner Group claiming control over most of the eastern region of Bakhmut.
The ongoing conflict, to this point, has resulted in over 62,000 casualties from both sides.
In the extensive blog post exceeding 3,000 words, Prigozhin warned that the situation on
the frontlines could deteriorate at any moment with the imminent Ukrainian counteroffensive,
and that the optimal strategy for Russian forces would be to fortify their positions.
Despite this, the oligarch conceded that Russia could not accede to any agreement
resulting in the surrender of Russian-occupied territories.
In a recent instance, Prigozhin was filmed advising Zelensky to abandon
his beleaguered forces at Bakhmut. Days later,
footage emerged of Wagner troops releasing 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Despite the abundance of combat footage showcasing Wagner PMCs serving in Ukraine,
the organization's future within Russia and on the global stage remains ambiguous…
Thank you for watching our video! Please like and subscribe to our Dark Documentaries
channels to find more content about the ongoing conflicts worldwide and the rise
of other PMCs. And don't forget to hit the bell icon to be notified of our newest videos.
We publish regularly, so stay tuned!