Can anyone explain the Wagner stuff?

[ssd]

Im finding it difficult to follow, i thought the guy killed in a plane crash was called wagner...

Can anyone help explain it please

Wagner are a private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin is Wagner’s owner, he is the man reportedly amongst 10 killed on the private jet yesterday. Also on the plane was Dmitry Utkin who’s military call sign was Wagner, hence the name of the company.

They had been serving in Ukraine until recently when they led an ill fated march on Moscow (you may call it a coup) after which Prigozhin was sent to Belarus and now it seems killed.

Wagner PMC have been responsible for a great number of horrific war crimes across the world (including in Ikraine and Syria). Prigozhin is/was one evil bastard.

It’s largely thought to be another example of Putin’s inability to forgive and desire for retribution. Many expected he’d fall from a high window or drink the wrong kind of tea, instead it seems he got on the wrong plane 🤷‍♀️

I don't understand what "his military call sign was wagner" means

What is wagner? I thought it was just to do with the war in Ukraine, why is Syria mentioned? And was the guy who was killed an opponent of putin? I thought he was and he wanted the war to stop. Now im reading he's been fighting in Ukraine, do you mean against Russia? Was he on Ukraines side??

What did he do that was evil?

Wagner is the name of his group/company.
The Wagner group are mercenaries. Fighting and killing for money.
They have ‘troops’ in many countries.

wagner is a company.
they provide a service.
their service is providing troops and military equipment in conflict zones on behalf of the government. i.e. they work for russia in ukraine (and on other countries fir other governments.

kind of what serco in uk is doing running prisons.

huuuge potential for misuse.

His military call sign (so used on radio etc to identify him) was Wagner so when he confounded the private military company they used the name Wagner.

Wagner is a private military company, so essentially mercenaries. They are Russian and Prigozhin was previously very friendly with Putin (at one point he was Putin’s chef). They have fought in conflicts across the globe, including Syria. They were fighting in Ukraine on the Russian side but got pissed off because they felt they weren’t being properly supplied with weapons etc. so led a coup on Moscow (which failed).

Wagner are absolutely brutal. They frequently use rape as a weapon and have been known to execute their own men by smashing their heads in with sledgehammers. Some of the worst atrocities in Ukraine have been committed by Wagner fighters.

Prigozhin was most certainly not anti-war in Ukraine, if anything he felt Putin wasn’t going far enough.

There are a number of excellent podcasts that describe the rise of the Wagner group and the damage and destruction they have caused in conflict zones most recently in the Ukraine also Syria and in the Central African Republic. In the case of the last two regions, the Wagner group are paid by being given control of the natural resources of the country in which they have helped to prop up the ruling dictator. This is agood NBC documentary . The film maker was interviewed on the Rest is Politics episode on 18 July. Worth a listen to understand that this is the death of an evil man.

Utkin’s military callsign was Wagner because he was a neonazi (with multi nazi tattoos) and Wagner was Hitler’s favourite composer. When Prigozhin got Utkin to start the PMC called Wagner, they just used his callsign as initially it was just him and a few others.

It’s spread to much more than just a military company - though it is still that and has helped dictators like Assad in Syria, as well as assisted in coups in Burkina Faso and Mail. It also does what they call Political Technology in places like Madagascar, as well as mining and mineral extraction across Africa in places like the CAR. The money is extremely convoluted and runs through front orgs like Bois Rouge, M Finans and even a think tank called FNCZ.

It exists in the first place so that Russia can interfere in other countries - often brutally - whilst denying that they are doing it. PMCs are technically illegal in Russia, but everything Prigozhin and Wagner did was directed by the Kremlin until the failed insurrection. After he bowed out from marching on Moscow, he was doomed. Putin does not forgive or forget.

Wagner isn’t a person ( although named after one) but a private military army that has links to putin and his regime and is operating all over the world including in Africa and Syria providing private security services and extending russia’s influence ( but unofficially) so as to work for Russia but with fewer constraints and accountability.
can’t think of a European equivalent. Maybe the east India company back in the 1800’s. Private , independent, enriching themselves but links to England.

And they are definitely not on Ukraine’s side! If anything they think Putin too weak!

I don't believe for a second that Utkin and Prigozhin were both on this plane.

I dont either. The way the plane went down its obvious there will be no bodies to recover. Recovering their dna would be easy enough.

Oh and thanks for all answers