PMC Wagner

From A Closer Look On Syria
(Redirected from Wagner Group)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

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.

Sources

Private military companies in Russia according to Ukrainian disinformation agency InformNapalm
List of names and personal data of alleged Wagner conscripts found on the dead body of a ISIS fighter in Deir Ezzor
Wagner fighters in Palmyra in 2017

Does "Wagner" exist?

Yes, as of January 14, 2023 they officially exist.
See also PMC arrests in Belarus for fake claims.

'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.

Prigozhin

"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).
    • After the start of the war, February 2022, the existence of Wagner, and the role of Prigozhin is no longer denied, and in fact acquired significant media presence

ISIS Hunters

Shoulder patch used by ISIS Hunters in Syria. Western media claim – without evidence – that the PMC Wagner Group uses a similar patch.
A "Russian" solder with an ISIS Hunters patch in the Zaparozhia Oblast in May 2022
ISIS Hunters patch seen in Donbass in May 2022
See also US airstrike on ISIS Hunters, February 7, 2018

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).

Beheading video

Libya

December 2019. Possibility of Russia and Turkey backing fighters on opposing sides is discussed in mass and social media, e.g.:

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)

"Wagner" social media accounts

Wagner movies

  • Among first media appearances is Luna -Palmira, October 3, 2019. Video link is no longer active, but there are audio and video versions of the song elsewhere
  • Tourist movie, May 2021
  • 🎬PMC Wagner | Best in Hell | 2022 (English subtitles) - video on YouTube
    Fictional war movie filmed in Popasna with real fighters and weapons.
  • Shugalei 4, 2023 is said to be (Cassad, 10 Feb 2023) in the works, based on 12 real-based stories. Shugalei 1-3 is an action movie serial, started in 2020

See also

Mutiny, July 23-24, 2023

Moved to Prigozhin's march to Moscow