.jpg?itok=2Em9KLQd&offsetX=0&offsetY=23&cropWidth=1023&cropHeight=575&width=2048&height=1152&impolicy=dynamic "Murder, rape and slavery: these are Putin’s mercenaries")
The Russians are not unique with their use of mercenaries: the United States also has a hand in this. In 2007, a “security firm” by the name of Blackwater carried out a massacre in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The members involved were given substantial prison sentences.
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The soldiers of the ‘Wagner Group’ are comparable to paramilitaries, private soldiers who officially operate independently of the state. The group is said to have been founded by Dimitri Utkin, a Russian veteran with strong Nazi sympathies. This is probably why the Wagner Group was named after Richard Wagner, Adolf Hitler’s favorite composer.
According to the Kremlin, there is no link with the Wagner Group, but founder Utkin seems to have really close ties to President Vladimir Putin. And the current owner – according to Western intelligence – Yevgeny Prigozhin is an oligarch who took care of Putin’s private catering for years. He was also known as ‘Putin’s chef’.
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“Not a nice boy,” says Hans van Koningsbrugge, professor of History and Politics of Russia. “He spent nine years in prison for fraud and fraud. Actually twelve, but he was released earlier because he had ‘improved’ his life. Then he became a restaurant owner and casino owner.”
‘No gang irregular’
And now he is head of the Wagner Group. “Those guys are deployed to do the dirty work,” explains defense expert Dick Zandee of the Clingendael Institute. “Think of the street fights, for example. Motivation suddenly plays a major role, because you come face-to-face. The Russian soldiers on duty are often not that motivated.”
The Wagner mercenaries are. “They choose it themselves,” says Zandee. “These guys like a challenge, they look for danger. That doesn’t mean it’s a mess, though. They are usually very well trained.”
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The Kremlin may deny, according to Van Koningsbrugge they work with the Wagner Group. “The Kremlin denies everything. Then they wrap it up nicely by saying it’s ‘not an official policy’. But they’re probably just getting orders from Russian military intelligence. The military’s training facilities and the Wagner Group are right next to each other. “
The group’s existence first came to light in 2014. The Wagner Group then helped Russia annex Crimea. After that, more countries became acquainted with the mercenaries. For example, they were used in the recent wars in Syria and Libya. The mercenaries have also been active in the Ukrainian Donbas for some time.
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According to the United Nations, Wagner soldiers are responsible for, among other things, murder, torture, rape and slavery. It led to heavy sanctions from the European Union against the mercenaries at the end of 2021, but they could not prevent the group from being found in Ukraine again.
And especially in areas where the Russians are having a hard time, Zandee sees. “They can really be of added value there. They won’t be the deciding factor, but they are very useful for filling gaps, for example.”
‘Just a call is enough’
For example, its own permanent troops sometimes have to go back to Russia to recharge. “It’s all very slow,” says Zandee. But the Wagner mercenaries are ready much faster: “You call those guys, so to speak, and then they are there.”
Finally, according to Van Koningsbrugge, there is another reason why the Kremlin likes to use the Wagner soldiers. “You don’t have any responsibility about it,” he says. “You can use them as cannon fodder, and there is no rooster to crow at them.”
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