Moscow, August 26
The Wagner Group’s presence extends from the battlegrounds of Syria to the deserts of sub-Saharan Africa, projecting the Kremlin’s global influence with mercenaries accused of using brutal force and profiting from seized mineral riches.
Putin tells them to sign allegiance oath
- President Vladimir Putin has ordered Wagner fighters to sign an oath of allegiance to the Russian state after a deadly plane crash believed to have killed Yevgeny Prigozhin
- Putin signed the decree bringing in the change after the Kremlin said western suggestions that Prigozhin had been killed on its orders were an ‘absolute lie’
But that was under Yevgeny Prigozhin, who, in what may have been his final recruitment video, appeared in military fatigues from unidentified dry and dusty plains, boasting of Wagner “making Russia even greater on all continents”. A private jet carrying Prigozhin and his top lieutenants crashed northwest of Moscow on Wednesday, two months after he led an armed rebellion that challenged the authority of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The crash has raised questions about the future of the group.
In African countries where Wagner provided security against extremist organisations like Al-Qaeda and the ISIS, officials and commentators predicted Russia would likely maintain a presence, placing the mercenaries under new leadership.
Others, however, say Prigozhin built deep, personal connections that Moscow could find challenging to replace quickly. Africa is vitally important to Russia. This summer, Wagner helped secure a national referendum in the Central African Republic; it is a key partner for Mali’s army in battling armed rebels; and it contacted the military junta in Niger that wants its services following a coup.