Grupo Wagner’s operation in Venezuela – DW – 06/27/2023

The military, political and economic importance of the Wagner group has grown steadily in recent years. According to a study by the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Russia increasingly uses paramilitary units and private military companies. Wagner group. Tracing his activities is not always possible, but Wagner is said to be active in around 30 countries around the world, including Syria and Mali.

Europe

Russian war in Ukraine

From the beginning Russian invasion of Ukraine The Wagner Group is in the headlines. He was first identified in 2014 in Ukraine’s Donbas region, where he supported pro-Russian separatists. Since then, the private military has grown steadily. “Wagner now has almost 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and has become a key element of the invasion,” Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in January. Wagner’s own boss, Evgeny Prigogine, He recently spoke of about 25,000 men in his division.

Among other things, prisoners are recruited with the promise of pardon. Wagner’s team played a key role in the hotly contested city of Pakmut in eastern Ukraine. In May, the group declared victory over Pakmut and announced that the city would now be handed over to the Russian army.

African countries

is the Wagner Group Especially active in African countries. Here, the paramilitary unit must assert Russian interests by, among other things, extracting raw materials, undermining the position of democratic actors, and investing in disinformation campaigns.

Sudan

Sudan is considered one of the key countries for Russian influence in Africa. The Wagner group has been operating there for years and supports the military government. According to media reports, Russia mainly wants access to valuable raw materials. In addition to gold, these objectives include manganese and silicon. Uranium deposits are also of particular interest to Russia.

“Prigozhin and his network are exploiting Sudan’s natural resources for personal gain and expanding their influence,” said former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Even under the regime of dictator Omar al-Bashir, my permit for gold went to the Russian company M. Invest, which is said to be controlled by oligarch and Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, assigned Wagner security guards the job of guarding M-Invest’s gold mines in Sudan.

Mali

Mali’s military junta is also dependent on Wagner’s Russian mercenaries. Independent advisers to the UN Human Rights Council suspect that militants are involved in serious crimes in Mali, including human rights abuses and crimes against humanity. Since 2021 there have been “persistent and alarming reports” of “horrific executions, mass graves, torture, rape and sexual violence, looting, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances”.

Central African Republic

According to the Russian ambassador, in 1890, “Russian coaches” supported government forces in a civil war in the Central African Republic. The group assumed some of the personal security of President Faustin-Archange Dutera and helped train the CAR military to prepare for possible coup attempts. In return for their military and political support, the group allegedly received mineral resources such as diamonds, gold and timber.

As in Mali, people are increasingly affected by the violence and human rights abuses by Wagner staff. In a June 2021 UN report, investigators documented numerous violations of international humanitarian law, including excessive force, civilian killings, rape, torture, school invasions and routine looting.

Arab countries

Syria

In late 2015, members of Wagner’s group were confirmed to be in Syria for the first time after some were killed by anti-government militias. Russia has been an ally of the country’s authoritarian government for years and has provided military support to the Syrian dictator. Bashar al-Assad Since the beginning of 2015. The mercenaries of the Wagner group fought actively alongside the regular Russian soldiers. At its peak, Wagner Group reportedly fought in Syria with more than 5,000 fighters. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russian fighters, including members of the Wagner group, have left the Arab country.

Libya

In Libya, the Wagner group acted as an independent force. Libya has been divided since 2014 after dictator Muammar Gaddafi was ousted in a revolution. Two governments will face each other in the east and west of the country. Militants belonging to the Wagner Group are believed to have been in the country since then. Their mission: to support the eastern government and its de facto boss, former Libyan warlord Salifa Haftar, with tasks such as security and training. In 2019, they openly participated in Haftar’s attack on the West Libyan government in Tripoli.

There were about 2,000 Wagner mercenaries in Libya. It is not known how many there are now. The group is believed to have expanded its operations from there to neighboring Sudan.

In both Libya and Syria, Wagner Group fighters have been accused of torture, indiscriminate killings and other war crimes.

The US Department of Defense understands that Wagner’s group also has ties to and is being paid by the United Arab Emirates to support Haftar in Libya.

Latin America

Venezuela

Russia has also deployed paramilitary units in Latin America. According to the Reuters news agency, Wagner’s members flew to Caracas in 2019 to guarantee the security of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Wagner Group should also help Venezuela Establish their own elite units.

Venezuela and Russia have close military and economic ties. Russia is one of the Venezuelan government’s biggest lenders: since 2006, Russia has lent Caracas about $17 billion. Russia wants to control the world’s largest oil reserves in Venezuela.

Asia

Sri Lanka

According to CSIS analysis, the Wagner Group operates not only in countries on the African continent, but also in Asia. Here, among others, Sri Lanka is mentioned. It’s not clear how exactly the troops are operating there, as the highly complex networks of different Russian paramilitary units are involved.

A report by US think tank New America shows links between the Russian defense firm Moran and the Wagner Group. Several Moran employees openly claimed to have ties to the Wagner Group, including in Sri Lanka.