Subscribe
Whether it be overdose, fire, car crash, cardiac arrest, falling on the stairs, from a window , or more recently, from the sky one thing is certain: powerful people in Russia seem to be extremely accident prone, especially after they disagree with President Vladimir Putin.
The most recent victims of this misfortune are the owner of the Wagner Paramilitary Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin and the private army’s de facto leader Dmitry Utkin, the man whose callsign became the name of the organisation.
The Wagner Group is the most visible and potentially the most powerful of Russia’s private military groups. It has been heavily involved in the conflict in Ukraine since 2014, as well as in the complex geo-political chess game unfolding in both Syria and Africa. In Syria, the group has been instrumental in propping up the Assad regime, furthering Russia’s strategic interests in the region. It has been involved in some of the bloodiest battles of the conflict, notably the Battle of Palmyra.
Meanwhile, in Africa, the group’s presence can be felt from Libya to the Central African Republic, where they wield enormous influence. They’ve been alleged to be involved in exploiting local resources, providing military training to government forces, and even influencing local politics. This expansion was seen by many as an extension of Putin’s desire to reassert Russia on the global stage, with the Wagner Group acting as a shadowy and deniable instrument of national power.
In an unexpected and shocking event, the lives of the Wagner Group leaders, Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, were abruptly ended in a plane crash on Russian soil. The incident, which, on the surface, appears to be a tragic accident, has sparked widespread speculation and controversy due to the timing and circumstances. It is worth noting that the plane crash occurred only two months after Prigozhin and Utkin had reportedly expressed public disagreement with President Putin’s policies.
In June of this year, an event of considerable significance took place which further shrouded the Wagner Group in a cloud of controversy and intrigue. This event, called by some the ‘March on Moscow’, saw members of the private military group take action against Russian military forces by occupying the garrison in Rostov-on-Don and shooting down airplanes on their way to the Russian capital in an unprecedented display of public dissent. This march, it is believed, was held in response to a series of policy decisions enacted by President Putin that the Wagner Group perceived to be detrimental to their operations.
The events of the past few months have caused many to question the true objectives of the Wagner Group and what its goals are in relation to Russia’s greater strategic interests. With Yevgeny Prigozhin and his second in command, Dmitry Utkin, now dead, it is unclear how the organisation will continue to operate or if it will be able to sustain its operations without their leadership.
The sight of a private paramilitary group, long employed as a discreet tool of statecraft by the Kremlin, marching in the heart of Moscow was an event that sent shockwaves through the international community. The group’s audacious public display of opposition against Putin’s administration was a rare instance of insubordination from an organisation that has otherwise been known for its loyalty to the Russian state.
This act of defiance, juxtaposed with the subsequent tragic demise of the group’s leaders, Prigozhin and Utkin, adds a chilling dimension to the narrative surrounding their deaths. It raises further questions about the underlying dynamics of power, loyalty, and consequence in Putin’s Russia.
The Wagner Group is closely tied to some Russian oligarchs, and analysts suggest that its role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine could be more important than what has been reported. With both Prigozhin and Utkin now out of the picture, it remains to be seen how the Wagner Group will evolve without their leadership.
Whatever comes next for this powerful organisation, we can be sure that further mystery and speculation will soon follow. As is so often the case when dealing with Russia and its elites, only time will tell what lies ahead for the Wagner Group.