“Wagner army makes the Russians commit all kinds of atrocities” Missing on the “Titanic”: submarine search with adventurers

Once a dubious Russian mercenary army, Wagner has become a force in the war in Ukraine. How is that possible?
Peer de Jong: Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozchin has huge funds, not least because of his lucrative activities in Africa. He was able to recruit thousands of men in a matter of months, turning embattled Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. The regular Russian army was on the defensive in Bakhmut. To regain the initiative, Prigozhin suggested sending his own troops into the field. The attempt was successful

But this was not only well received in Moscow.
Prigozhin talks and communicates non-stop, he criticizes the army, the Kremlin, even the army. He is also well received by public opinion in Russia. Not everyone likes that, not even in the Kremlin

Not even Putin?
Putin, of course, is pleased with Wagner’s success, but he resents Prigozhin’s criticism. If the Wagner boss had kept his mouth shut, Putin would have let him continue at the front to Ukraine. You also have to wonder if Prigozhin is pursuing a political project and wants to run as a candidate in Russia’s next presidential election in 2024. His plans certainly depend on the progress of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. If Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu manages to stop them, he will strengthen his position. If not, Prigozhin could catch up with him

How should one imagine the Wagner troops? Like a gang of criminals, some of whom Prigozhin recruited directly from prisons?
It would certainly be a mistake to see Wagner as merely an association of 40,000 barbarians, even if brutes and even murderers fought in his ranks. On the other hand, this private army – like the regular Russian army – appears to be poorly organized and under command. There is a shortage of professional military personnel. This causes many administrative and logistical problems. And it is common knowledge that when an army is grappling with such problems, violence quickly spirals out of control. This violence is also widespread in the Russian army – after all, the war crimes in Bucha were not the work of Wagner, but of Russian army units.

Experts are already talking about a “Wagnerianization” of war.
I think that’s exaggerated. Wagner is not transferable to other countries. With his billions, Prigozhin came up with a very unique model. It is also very Russian, can only work in Russia

But Wagner also exports, especially to Africa. Successfully?
In Mali, Wagner mercenaries support the regular Malian army. They are no more or less successful than the French army, which was thrown out of the country by the junta. The jihadists remain in the desert, even though they have not yet succeeded in capturing the capital Bamako.

And how is the Wagner Group doing in the rest of Africa?
Their influence extends from Mali to the Central African Republic and from Libya to Mozambique and recently even to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Prigozhin protects those in power and fills his pockets with profits from resources. He plays into the hands of Putin’s diplomacy in Africa, even though he pretends to be a private company. Wagner is also an outgrowth of the Russian state in Africa. If Putin makes Prigozhin change, it is also for this reason. Putin is preparing two major summits – in July with the Africans, in August with the emerging countries of South Africa. And Wagner is a tool for Russian diplomacy. This private army allows the Russians to commit all kinds of misdeeds, but they wash their hands and say: “Wagner is a private company and has nothing to do with the Russian state.”

How did the trend toward these “private military companies” (PMC) that you describe in your book come about?
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Western defense budgets fell. During the Bush administration, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld began outsourcing certain military operations to save money. Not the warfare itself, but logistical and security tasks

Didn’t Blackwater, once the main company, take part in combat operations in Iraq or Afghanistan?
Not directly. Blackwater, meanwhile, has done it itself. The company was resold in 2018!​

And “Mozart”, founded by an American as opposed to “Wagner” after the war in the Ukraine started?
Mozart was seen as a “smart” military company made up of volunteer West German fighters who also wanted to help with evacuations and the like. At the beginning of this year, however, it had to halt activities for financial and operational reasons. Perhaps also because the Americans do not want Americans involved in the fighting

So “Mozart” was a special case?
Yes. There are also hundreds of security companies in the US. The four largest, including Caci, have sales in the billions

Where do these companies operate outside of the US?
In all larger countries, especially in the US, UK or Australia, but also in China or France, but also in emerging countries such as Turkey …​

…and of course in Russia?
Yes, Putin started copying the 2013 US model. He even proposed to the Russian parliament to allow the creation of private mercenary armies, but the State Duma rejected this in 2018. That is why Wagner sails under the label of a private security and training company. This is all the more absurd since Wagner is completely under the control of the Russian secret service in Africa. In reality, Putin goes even further there than the Americans, who, as I said, exclude private military companies from combat operations. Wagner is fully involved – but when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is held up to this in Africa, he says his country has nothing to do with Wagner.

The growing power of mercenaries is not good news for politicians in the country.
Especially since these companies can quickly become militias and the local potentates warlords. Defense Minister Shoigu has also created a small militia called “Patriot”. Their size has no relation to Wagner. But it is extensible. And with declining trust in the state, it is likely that individual regents or their families will increasingly set up personal protection forces.

What does Putin think about this?
Putin is trying to limit the role of these companies, militias or special forces to prevent them from becoming a threat to him. This is probably why in Belgorod he did not use Wagner, but Chechens who assisted him through their boss, Ramzam Kadyrov. (aargauerzeitung.ch).