Sources close to the leader of the Russian private security company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, report that he will reduce military operations in Ukraine and commit to deepening his presence in Africa, according to financial information firm Bloomberg.
Citing sources close to Prigozhin who are aware of the paramilitary group’s intentions, Bloomberg writes that the Wagner leader in Moscow is seen as an increasing threat by security and political authorities, especially since he was banned recruit mercenaries from among those arrested. , the main source for recruiting military personnel.
The latest episode in distrust in the value added of this private security company was its failure to make decisive progress on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
“With fighters struggling to advance more than a dozen kilometers to Bakhmut despite months of fighting, top Russian leaders have managed to sow doubts in Putin about Wagner’s military capabilities, arguing that the results obtained earlier were the result. from the use of many military…became prisoners sent to certain death,” writes Bloomberg.
“Prigozhin pisses everyone off, and his only protection is the personal relationship he has with Putin, who still finds him useful in some way,” said political adviser Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of R.Politik.
While there is still no concrete movement of Wagner’s paramilitary forces in sub-Saharan Africa, sources interviewed by Bloomberg believe that Prigozhin’s attention will be more focused on the continent, especially as the situation in Ukraine becomes more difficult for his troops.
In a public announcement released Monday, Wagner opened up mercenary job openings for six months in Ukraine and nine to 14 months in Africa, where Wagner has a presence in Libya, Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic (as well as Syria). with unconfirmed reports of its presence also in Burkina Faso and Mozambique.
Bloomberg also writes that, according to reports from Italian intelligence agencies, the group’s increased presence in North Africa and West Africa could increase the flow of migrants to Europe.
In the words of France’s President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Africa in February, Wagner is “the life insurance of failed regimes” and “a group of criminal mercenaries”.
The group is accused of numerous human rights violations by various international organizations, including the United Nations and the European Union.
Source: DN
