President Vladimir Putin of Russia has reportedly discussed the appointment of a new leader for the Wagner Group, a private military company (PMC), to replace Yevgeny Prigozhin, who instigated an unsuccessful armed rebellion. It is believed that Putin intends to “split” Prigozhin and the group’s command, while asserting his control over the Wagner Group.
According to the Russian daily Komersant, President Putin summoned 35 high-ranking Wagner commanders, including Prigozhin, to the Kremlin on the 29th of last month, five days after the rebellion. During this meeting, Putin announced Andrei Troshev, a former colonel and executive officer of the Wagner Group, as the new leader of the PMC.
President Putin presented one option for the Wagner Group to continue operating as a unified force under Troshev’s command. However, Prigozhin reportedly rejected this proposal and expressed his opposition towards the new leader. Troshev, a seasoned commander with experience in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Syria, served in the Special Forces of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and later joined the Wagner Group to support the Assad regime in Syria. He has been decorated multiple times for his military service.
Experts and foreign media suggest that President Putin is attempting to assert more control over the Wagner Group by creating divisions between Prigozhin and the PMC. This move can be seen as a way for Putin to secure loyalty from Wagner troops while diminishing Prigozhin’s influence.
In a separate development, it has been reported that members of the Wagner Group entered Belarus approximately three weeks after the failed armed rebellion. Ukrainian border guards and independent monitoring group Belarusian Hajun confirmed the entry of Wagner mercenaries into Belarus. The Belarusian Ministry of National Defense released a training video in which Wagner Group members participated, claiming that they were conducting military training for the Belarusian army. President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, who mediated between the Wagner Group and the Russian government during the rebellion, requested that the PMC stay in Belarus to train local troops.
Intended to strengthen management by writing a ‘sharing strategy’ good Wagner and bad Wagner
Members of Wagner’s unit cross the Belarusian border after 3 weeks of failed rebellion
Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured) is said to have spoken directly about a ‘new boss’ to lead the Wagner Group, a private military company (PMC), to replace Yevgeny Prigozhin, who started an armed rebellion. Analysts say that although he makes it clear that the Wagner group is under his control, he intends to ‘split’ Prigozin and the group command.
The Russian daily Komersant reported on the 14th that President Putin summoned 35 high-ranking Wagner commanders, including Prigozhin, to the Kremlin on the 29th of last month, five days after the armed uprising, and his named Andrei Troshev, executive officer and former colonel of the Wagner Group, as reported by the new leader of the Wagner Group (local time).
President Putin is said to have presented one of the options for the Wagner group to continue fighting as a single unit under the command of Troshev, known as ‘Sedoi’, a call sign meaning ‘grey hair’. “The mercenaries could come together and continue their service, then nothing would have changed,” Putin told reporters from Kommersant. “When I said that, a lot of people nodded,” he added. However, the media reported that Prigozhin did not agree to President Putin’s proposal, and spoke of a ‘new boss’ to his face, saying, “The mercenaries will oppose him.”
Troshev, nominated by President Putin, is a commander who has experienced wars in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria, and is one of the founding members of the Wagner Group. According to Reuters, he served in Afghanistan during the former Soviet Union for 10 years and was awarded the Red Star twice in recognition of his service. After the fall of the former Soviet Union, he served as a commander in the Special Forces (SOBR) of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. After Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war, he was reportedly sent to Syria as a member of the Wagner Group to support the Bashar al-Assad regime. He received Russia’s highest decoration, the Hero’s Medal, in 2016 for his participation in the Syrian civil war, and was also placed on the European Union’s sanctions list. On the EU sanctions list, it is recorded that he was born in 1953, but according to Russian media, he was born in 1962.
Experts and foreign media have analyzed that President Putin is trying to split Prigozhin and the Wagner group by strengthening his control over the Wagner group. “Putin is trying to separate Wagner and Prigozine, sending a message that he can ban the Wagner group at any time,” said Dara Marshcott of the US think tank Rand Institute. “Putin still needs the Wagner group, but not Prigozin.” he said. CNN said, “The key to the Kremlin’s PR blitz after the failed armed uprising is that Putin firmly controls everything.” It spreads a new narrative called,” he noted. The Associated Press also analyzed, “Putin’s comments appear to be part of an effort to strengthen control over Wagner’s troops and secure their loyalty while disparaging Prigozhin.”
Meanwhile, members of the Wagner Group were found to have entered Belarus about three weeks after the armed uprising failed. Ukrainian border guards reported that some Wagner mercenary units were seen entering the Belarusian border from Russia on the 15th. The Belarusian Hajun, an independent monitoring group that has tracked the movements of militants in Belarus, also said that at least 60 trucks and buses carrying mercenaries entered Belarus on the same day.
The day before, the Ministry of National Defense of Belarus released a training video in which some mercenaries from the Wagner Group participated as instructors, saying that they were conducting military training for their own army. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who mediated between the Wagner group and the Russian government during the armed uprising, asked the Wagner group to stay in Belarus and train their own troops.
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