Prigozhin would like to buy weapons from NATO countries

The secret documents about the war in Ukraine that have come to light in recent days also include an alleged request from Wagner’s mercenaries to a NATO country. As the American newspaper “Washington Post” reports, documents would show that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s employees tried to buy weapons in Turkey.

As a result, a meeting was held in February between employees of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and Turkish contacts. It concerned weapons intended for Wagner operations in Mali and Ukraine. The US, the documents suggest, would have been aware of the process. Apparently the information was based on intercepted communications.

The report also allegedly stated that Mali’s interim president, Assimi Goïta, confirmed that his country wanted to acquire Turkey’s weapons on behalf of Wagner forces.

In recent weeks, classified documents have reportedly surfaced on the Internet about plans by the US and NATO to strengthen Ukraine’s military ahead of a planned offensive against the Russian occupier. It was not initially known whether the documents were genuine and who may have published them. The Pentagon reiterated on Sunday that it had formally asked the Justice Department to investigate. One guess: it was an inside job.

However, according to the newspaper report, it is unclear to what extent the Turkish government was officially aware of the Wagner investigations and whether they were successful. As a NATO member, arms supplies to Wagner mercenaries would be somewhat problematic. If NATO partners were not aware of the process (and confirm it), it could at least frown some members.

Turkey does not join Western sanctions and continues to try to mediate. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is considered pro-Russian and has also met with Kremlin chief Putin.

There is still resistance from Ankara when it comes to Sweden’s NATO membership. However, Ankara did not supply weapons to Russia during the war in Ukraine. In February, the Trading Economics web portal reported that shipments of electronic components from Turkey to Russia were worth $559.21 million by 2022 — and that some of the components could also be used in weapons.

Ukraine already benefited from Turkish drone deliveries a year ago. The Bayraktar TB2 models are produced in Turkey, but the exact number and circumstances of the deliveries are not known.