Russian Private Military Companies Move to Take Over Wagner Fighters

livemint.com:

Security groups loyal to the Kremlin are moving to take control of Wagner’s military forces in Ukraine and Africa in the wake of the death of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Mercenary groups with ties to Russian security forces and oligarchs close to the Kremlin are moving to absorb thousands of Wagner soldiers. In doing so, the Kremlin is seeking to commandeer experienced troops for the war in Ukraine and retain the influence Wagner had earned in parts of Africa.

Last month, Prigozhin’s plane crashed outside Moscow in what U.S. intelligence officials believe was an assassination. It followed Prigozhin’s mutiny in June, where he threatened to topple Russia’s military establishment—the biggest challenge yet to the authority of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Now, in the wake of Prigozhin’s death, the Kremlin is moving to take over Wagner’s valuable military assets, including many battle-tested and skilled soldiers who were deployed in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Prigozhin had built a presence in a half-dozen countries in the Middle East and Africa, counting some 6,000 fighters who often provide security to local political leaders, sometimes in return for access to valuable resources. According to African and Western officials, the Kremlin is also beginning to take control of those units.

A number of private military groups with ties to the Kremlin have sent soldiers to fight in Ukraine in recent months, often as a way of currying favor with Putin. They include groups founded by intelligence officers, financed by oligarchs close to Putin and controlled by state companies. One of those companies, Redut, is now recruiting Wagner soldiers who fought in Ukraine, according to one person close to Russia’s Defense Ministry.