So far, there has been little concrete information about the “Wagner Group” – everything was nebulous. But with the war in Ukraine, the group stepped out of the shadows into the public spotlight. This dispelled her myth, says Andreas Rüesch in the podcast.
“NZZ Akzent”: The Wagner group: Putin’s killer squad?
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David Vogel and Sebastian Panholzer
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What experts had already suspected became crystal clear with the start of the war in Ukraine: the Wagner group does not consist of independent mercenaries, but is closely linked to the Kremlin. “This is now also clearly shown in a video from a Russian prison,” explains Andreas Rüesch in the new episode of “NZZ Akzent”. In the video, Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin appears as the leader of the group for the first time. He campaigns among the prisoners for new soldiers for the “special operation” in Ukraine and offers a pardon for them. “It is inconceivable that Prigozhin acted without a mandate from the Kremlin, because only President Putin can pardon prisoners,” says Rüesch.
Not only this video is an indication of how closely the Wagner group is connected to the Kremlin and also directly to President Putin. In the media, the soldiers have been portrayed as mercenaries for years. However, it is characteristic of a mercenary company that it offers its services to all kinds of customers. But that’s not the case for the Wagner group, says Rüesch. It is striking that the group is always deployed where Russia is pursuing its interests.
Further evidence creates an overall picture that clearly shows, Rüesch continues, how closely the Wagner group is connected to the Russian military apparatus.
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