Thousands of former Wagner militiamen now answer to Moscow. Politico writes this exclusively, claiming that the Russian mercenary militia, which is fighting in Ukraine and also organized a mutiny against President Vladimir Putin, has been disbanded and divided into at least four groups that now operate in the service of the Kremlin.
Politico cites two official American sources, according to whom the Moscow government, by mixing the fighters with other mercenaries loyal to Putin, hopes to avoid a repeat of riots like the one last year, when Wagner’s mercenaries attempted an insurrection against Putin and the Ministry of Defense reaching the gates of Moscow.
According to the sources, the new private armies have already been deployed around the world on special missions: not only in Ukraine but also in Africa, “where they play a destabilizing role as when they were under Prigozhin’s command.” “Reconstituted paramilitary groups have already forced the Biden administration to withdraw troops from Niger and Chad, and are challenging US policies in Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Libya and other African nations.”
One of the four groups is aligned with the Russian National Guard. He has already moved to Ukraine and lost a significant number of fighters. Two other groups operate under the control of the Ministry of Defense and Moscow’s secret services. The fourth group – known as Africa Corps and aligned with an existing group called Redut – is still working to take control of former Wagner forces in some African capitals, officials said.
It is unclear – Politico writes – to what extent Yevgeny Prigozhin’s son, who initially took control of thousands of Wagner mercenaries after his father’s death, is still involved in leading a smaller group of fighters who remain loyal to the memory of the founder. The young Prigozhin is probably in charge of some forces in the Central African Republic and Mali. Prigozhin died last August when his plane exploded in mid-air. The incident was widely seen as a state-sponsored assassination, ordered by Putin himself. His death marked the end of the most serious challenge to Putin’s leadership in his 25 years in power. Prigozhin had become rich as the president’s personal chef and the Kremlin’s official restaurateur, before creating the Wagner Group in 2017.
Disinformation weapons – one of the group’s specialties – are now likely under the control of Russia’s foreign intelligence services, US officials said. And his economic advisers may have been placed under other intelligence bureaus, including the Directorate of Military Intelligence. Moscow’s recently asserted command over these private mercenaries has broad implications for geopolitics. In Africa, in particular, it could undermine the Biden administration’s efforts to fight terrorism, promote democracy and forge diplomatic ties with newly formed regimes.
