New York Times “Wagner Group Gathers Syrian Special Forces Mercenaries”
Putin’s Chef Run, Wagner Group Notorious for Attacking Civilians
“Syrian Army 25th Special Forces Contract, including $1,200 per month”
A mercenary unit led by a close aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian elite fighters gather on the battlefield in Ukraine. There are growing concerns about war crimes by mercenaries, notorious for civilian attacks and looting.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 31st (local time) that more than 1,000 soldiers of the mercenary company ‘Wagner Group’ and 300 members of the Syrian Army’s special forces, so-called ‘tigers’, would be deployed to the front line, citing a source.
First known during Russia’s 2014 military annexation of Crimea, the Wagner Group is a mercenary unit notorious for attacking and looting civilians.
▲ Wagner group mercenary
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It was founded by former Russian special forces commander Dmitry Utkin, but the actual operator is known as Evgeny Prigozin, a close aide to Putin. He owns a company that supplies food for various events in the Kremlin, and is called ‘Putin’s Chef’.
The Wagner group, which is also on the US government sanctions list, has strongly expressed its neo-Nazi tendencies. According to foreign media, it was named after the composer Richard Wagner, whose commander Utkin liked to have Nazi-related tattoos and was a favorite of Adolf Hitler, the president of Nazi Germany.
Wagner mercenaries are known to carry out oil and mineral plundering on the battlefield as well as combat at the request of their employers. Its main areas of activity are the Middle East and Africa, such as Syria, Libya, Sudan, and Mali.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said more than 1,000 Wagner mercenaries were already active in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
According to a UN Security Council report released last year, the Wagner group killed three civilians in the Central African Republic in 2020 and attacked a mosque, killing at least six. The brutal war crimes of executing or looting ordinary citizens also gained notoriety.
At the request of Russia, 300 counter-terrorism fighters from the 25th Special Forces of the Syrian Army, who are deployed to the Ukrainian front, also participated as mercenaries. A Western diplomat said they had arrived in Russia for military training ahead of front-line deployment.
▲ Syrian Army 25th Special Forces Tiger Unit
Source International Review
The New York Times, citing a Syrian source, suggested that the terms of the contract include the payment of $1,200 per month (about KRW 1.46 million) to Tiger troops, a $3,000 bonus at the end of battle, and $2,800 (about KRW 3.4 million) in the event of a death to the bereaved family. said it was
The Tiger Unit is an elite militia capable of counter-terrorism, and they are familiar with the Russian-style combat method by operating with the Russian special forces during the Syrian civil war. Thousands of reserve mercenaries recruited by war brokers from across Syria were also reported to be awaiting screening by security authorities. A mercenary broker, who requested anonymity, provided information that the Russian government had requested the deployment of 16,000 Syrian troops.
“Money is the biggest motivator,” said Bassam al-Ahmad, president of Syrians for Truth and Justice, which tracks the mercenary activities of the Syrian army. It is explained that the battle wage of elite troops in Syria is also at the level of $100 a month, which is 12 times the amount proposed by Russia. This is the reason why the mercenary business is attracting attention in the Syrian economy, where jobs are scarce due to the long civil war.
Putin backed President Sheikh Mohammed al-Assad during the Syrian civil war in 2011 and supported the pro-government militia.
At a time when casualties to Ukrainian civilians are rapidly increasing due to the indiscriminate bombardment and devastating tactics of the Russian army, concerns are growing about the mercenaries that Russia has called.
Ahn Dong-hwan, staff reporter
