Ramzan Kadyrovthe President of Chechnya and an ally of Vladimir Putin, has announced plans to create a private army akin to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin’s infamous Wagner Group.
L’Notice It came through a message that Kadyrov published on his Telegram channel today, Sunday, February 19.
Praise for Wagner and The Falcon’s Desire
The news begins with compliments from the Russian Falcon on the activity of Wagner group and the key role it played in the war in Ukraine. “They achieved impressive results,” writes Kadyrov. “We can state that (the group) Wagner proved themselves in military terms and put an end to discussions about the need for the use of private military companies in armed conflicts.”
The Chechen leader then reveals the plan to set up one own army private: “When the service for my state is finished, I have the firm intention of competing with our dear brother Yevgeny Prigozhin and founding a private military company.” And he is also optimistic: “I am sure that we will succeed becomes.”
The Role of the Group in War
Kadyrov emphasized how Wagner’s troops had fought side by side with the Russian military since the beginning of the war, speaking of the “need” of the use of private armies in the conflict.
The Wagner Group was formed in 2014 and numbered just 5,000 before the war broke out, according to the BBC. Now that number would come 50 thousandbut the real strength of Prigozhin’s troops remains in doubt, also due to recent statements by the US National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, according to which at least 30,000 Wagner soldiers have been killed or wounded since the conflict began. According to the spokesman, at least 90% of them come from Russian prisons.
Since its inception, the Wagner Group has been accused of being thatshadow army from Putin. The attribution of the private company to Prighozhin was only confirmed by the Falcon itself last September. Officially composed of mercenaries from Russian troops, their presence on the Ukrainian border in early February was one of the alarm bells of the impending invasion.
Wagner’s troops were mainly used in the War in Donbassbetween 2014 and 2015 and there is speculation about their involvement in the civil wars in Syria and Libya, as well as in the internal conflicts in the Central African Republic and Mali.
During the Ukraine War, the mercenaries were mainly used to gain control of the city Bachmut.
Internal conflicts and the threat to Putin
On January 11, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had taken control of the city of Soledar. However, the release immediately sparked anger in the ranks of the mercenaries and caused a Splits among the troops about who had the right to claim victory.
The Wagner Group’s lawsuit, along with posts on the Telegram channels associated with the company, shed light on the matter Danger very specific to Putin: the existence of a private company run by one of the men closest to the Russian President would indeed pose a threat to him stability his position at the head of the Kremlin.
Both Prigozhin and Kadyrov have criticized on several occasions the leadership of the Russian President in the conflict in Ukraine, in particular with a request to use more aggressive strategies to defeat the enemy. The “brotherhood” between the two hawks has been known for some time and now that Kadyrov also seems to want to start his own private company, the potential threat to Putin seems to be becoming more real, or at least the one that, by joining forces, could have a greater impact on the Course of the conflict currently taking place on European soil.
However, for now, according to the Institute for the Study of War, Kadyrov has stated that “the Chechen armed forces will follow the orders of any commander appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin,” breaking with what appears to be an information campaign against the Prigozhin Ministry of Defense, which announced March 18 February declared that “the Wagner Group is not subordinate to the Ministry”.