PMC Wagner

Wikipedia:
 * The Wagner Group (Russian: Группа Вагнера, tr. Grupa Vagnera), also known as PMC Wagner, ChVK Wagner, or CHVK Vagner (Russian: ЧВК Вагнера, tr. ChVK Vagner, Russian: Частная Военная Компания Вагнера), is a Russian paramilitary organisation. Some have described it as a private military company (or a private military contracting agency), whose contractors have reportedly taken part in various conflicts, including operations in the Syrian Civil War on the side of the Syrian government as well as, from 2014 until 2015, in the War in Donbass in Ukraine aiding the separatist forces of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. Others are of the opinion that ChVK Wagner is really a unit of the Russian Ministry of Defence in disguise, which is used by the Russian government in conflicts where deniability is called for.

Does "Wagner" exist?

 * ''See also PMC arrests in Belarus for fake claims.


 * Actor says he impersonated Russian mercenary in Syria for Sky News report - RT, August 18, 2016
 * On the Night Before Christmas Comes the Ghost of Russian Private Armies, by Scott Humor - The Saker, December 17, 2016
 * 'List of Russian mercenary losses in Syria grows', by Bellingcat's colleagues Conflict Intelligence Team (Leviev), October 16, 2017
 * Anyone who propagates PMCs “Wagner” and “Turan” are enemies, no exception - Scott Humor, December 14, 2017
 * “Wagner” Private military company could be a code name for Israel’s black-op - Scott Humor, February 13, 2018
 * The SBU Advertises Recruitment for Fake "Russian PMCs" to Entrap the Residents of the LPR - mil-lnr.info via StalkerZone, May 23, 2018
 * ''...Reports have been received from the citizens of the People's Republic that announcements about the recruitment of allegedly private military companies Wagner, MAP, Ferax and Alliance-SMB agency have appeared on the Internet (some screenshots). In reality, such announcements have nothing to do with real PMCs, but represent attempts by the Ukrainian side to entice LPR residents into the territory under the control of the Armed Forces in order to bring them to criminal responsibility and other reprisals for participating in the construction and protection of the Republic (One such case, Grigory Kazmin lured to and detained in Ukraine, 24 Apr'18, described, more cases alleged). Details on who is responsible provided, allegedly directed by the commander of the united headquarters of the Central Directorate of the SBU in the area of ​​the so-called "OOS" (operation of unified forces), the recent replacement of the ATO (officially announced 16 March'18, some earlier reports on 23 Feb'18).
 * Kazmin arrest was covered in Ukrainian mass media, stating that he came to receive bio-metric passport to join a Russian PMC, but it was not said that he was lured by false promises.
 * (US airstrike, 7 Feb'18, does not appear to be directly related --Resup (talk) 23:53, 23 May 2018 (UTC))

'They are not there'

 * Коротко по Дейр-эз-Зору -Cassad, 12 February, 2018
 * ''officially PMCs are not there. Until the law on PMCs is adopted, it will continue. According to the first version of the law, PMCs were to be subordinate to the RF Ministry of Defense, according to the second version - the FSB. In any case, in this scheme, one of the departments bore at least a formal responsibility and could be expected to take a more distinct position. And so. no one can even clearly explain which agency should be responsible for PMCs and their losses. After all, officially in Russia there are no PMCs. And de facto, there are.
 * From Khrustalik summary after interviewing wounded fighter:This was not a PMC in the general sense of the word. People signed a contract with the campaign "Euro policy" and went to civilian specialties, like locksmiths, surveyors, topographers and so on.

"Concord Management And Consulting", LLC

 * "Concord Management And Consulting", LLC . General director Utkin Dmitry Valerievich. Founder, Prigozhin Evgeniy Viktorovich. Main activity: restaurants and food delivery services. The number of employees is 101-250 people.
 * The company is among those indicted by Mueller.
 * Evgeny Prigozhin denies link with PMC Wagner. Individual taxpayer numbers of Utkin Dmitry Valerievich -director of "Concord Management And Consulting" is not the same as such number of Utkin Dmitry Valerievich -commander of a military unit 75143, liquidated in 2014. It is said that 'Fontanka' also claimed a difference of taxpayer numbers of the Concord director and 'Wagner'. (Situation is unclear; a separate Syrian oil exploration company was linked with Prigozhin, with 'Wagner' supposedly to guard those assets; not much is known about a different Utkin, if there is any).

Central African Republic?
Three Russian filmmakers (operator, director, reporter) were killed in CAR, when their car was fired on near a checkpoint, possibly in a robbery (they had some money and professional equipment). It is said that they were investigating reports on presence of Wagner group, in addition to Russian advisers. Mikhail Khodorkovsky possible sponsorship of the project is mentioned in some of the reports (Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his media group appear to indicate some partnership on a PMC project, publish footage with the three men).
 * Trois journalistes russes assassinés en Centrafrique - ouest-france.fr, 31 July, 2018
 * Les trois hommes étaient très connus dans la communauté journalistique russe. Il s'agit de Aleksandr Rastorguev Orkhan Dzhemal et Kirill Radchenko qui enquêtaient en RCA sur l'implication russe et la présence de la société militaire privée russe Wagner. Une SMP aussi présente en Syrie et dans l'est de l'Ukraine.
 * 'He was where it was dangerous' -Novaya Gazeta, 31 July, 2018
 * Echo Moskvy chief ed. Alexey Venedikdtov: Orhan Jemal was murdered in the CAR, where he shot a documentary about PMCs, 31 July, 2018
 * What We Know About the 3 Russian Journalists Killed in Central African Republic -Sputnik News, 31 July, 2018
 * Foreign Ministry confirms deaths of Russian journalists in Central African Republic -TASS, 31 July, 2018

Beheading video

 * Russian mercenaries 'beat and beheaded Syrian man' in leaked video - Josie Ensor, The Telegraph, November 18, 2019
 * Головорезы (21+) (Cutthroats) - Denis Korotkov, Novaya Gazeta, November 20, 2019
 * Journalists say Russian mercenaries in Syria tortured, beheaded, and burned a deserter from Assad's army. For fun. - Meduza, November 20, 2019
 * Сделав это, они возвращаются. - Fontanka.ru, November 22, 2019
 * Interviews "Ruslan" via Whatsapp chat.
 * One of the suspected Russian mercenaries who helped torture and execute a man in Syria is now reportedly teaching kids about patriotism in Bryansk - Fontanka, November 25, 2019
 * Герой интервью «Фонтанки» с бойцом ЧВК «Вагнера» подаст на издание в суд (The hero of the Fontanka interview with a fighter of the Wagner PMC will file a lawsuit for publication) - RIA FAN, December 4, 2019 (video)
 * ''The publication 'hero' Ruslan, whom journalist Alexander Ermakov called a mercenary teaching children patriotism, turned out to be an ordinary fan of Russian folklore, was not in Syria and, most importantly, never spoke with the correspondent Ermakov.

Libya
December 2019. Possibility of Russia and Turkey backing fighters on opposing sides is discussed in mass and social media, e.g.:
 * Erdogan Slams Russian 'Mercenaries' in Libya, Kremlin Voices Concern Over Possible Turkish Troop Deployment, Libyan force attacking Tripoli gives militias 3-day deadline, Haaretz. December 20, 2019
 * Erdogan claimed there are thousands of PMC Wagner figheters in Libya -Rusvesna, December 25, 2019
 * Turkey's Erdogan discusses Libya ceasefire during surprise Tunisia trip -Reuters, December 25, 2019
 * Libya makes formal request for Turkish military support - Reuters, December 26, 2019

To explain those entries: apparently, Turkey is putting pressure on Russia to halt SAA offensive in Idlib, assisted, at least, by RU aviation strikes. Russian response is likely along the lines that they are in Syria legally on the invitation of Syrian government, and further along international law lines, to justify air strikes, etc. Erdogan and co may be using 'pivot to Libya' + advertisement of Wagner presence in Libya as a way to counter this line, militarily, diplomatically, or both, say using, or threatening, air strikes in Libya on Wagner's, with international law positions in reverse. This is at least very clearly the line taken by Russian patriotic opposition, who fear that their side may be expendable in those games. --Resup (talk) 02:54, 28 December 2019 (UTC)