Russia’s Yevgeny Prigozhin Admits Owning Wagner Mercenary Force

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Facts

  • On Monday, Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted for the first time to having founded the private military company Wagner Group, reversing years of denials and court cases against media agencies that investigated him.
  • Kremlin-linked Prigozhin stated on social media that he founded the unit on May 1, 2014 – after Russia annexed Crimea's peninsula from Ukraine – staffing it with veterans of the Russian armed forces.
  • Since then, Wagner has reportedly been actively reinforcing Russian forces in armed conflicts in Ukraine, which Prigozhin claims to be a "genocide of the Russian population." A video of someone appearing to be Prigozhin allegedly recruiting Russian prisoners to fight in Ukraine was leaked a few days ago.
  • Wagner comprises several Russian mercenary groups and allegedly operates like a private military contractor for Moscow. It has reportedly fought in Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mali.
  • Prigozhin was among 13 Russians indicted in 2018 by a US federal grand jury for interference in the 2016 presidential election, and the FBI put him on its most-wanted list in 2021.
  • He has been personally sanctioned by the EU, the UK, and the US, while, in March, the UN announced an investigation on alleged human rights abuses carried out by Wagner forces in Mali.

Sources: CNN, Al Jazeera, Moscow Times, New York Times, and Bloomberg.

Narratives

  • Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Euro News. This confession exposes the direct link between the Kremlin and Wagner Group, proving long-standing suspicions that Wagner mercenaries work for the Russian government as Prigozhin is a close ally to Putin. The private military company has committed war crimes in Ukraine, Libya, and Syria, acting in support of Russian troops.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT. While Prigozhin has confirmed he owns Wagner and praised its fighters as "Russian patriots," it's a very long jump to claim that this admission proves Western accusations that the Wagner Group operates under Moscow's orders. His alleged personal ties to the Kremlin are merely catering service contracts.