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Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group’s mercenaries are training Belarusian soldiers and have their eyes set on Lithuania and Poland. (Image: Reuters File)
Yevgeny Prigozhin said his men are active in Africa and Belarus and even offered his services to Niger putschists after Bazoum’s ouster.
Yevgeny Prigozhin said that his Wagner mercenary group will continue with its activities in Africa and Belarus but it is not recruiting new fighters. Prigozhin, the architect of a failed coup d’etat against Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Wagner is deciding its next objectives.
Wagner fighters have played a key role in ongoing 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War but in parts of central Africa it has been key to increasing the Russian sphere of influence. They have also handed Moscow the role of a major regional player in Syria by playing a prominent role in the Syrian conflict.
But Prigozhin, once Putin’s caterer, also tried to topple the Russian government in June in a short-lived mutiny against Russia’s military leadership.
“(Most Wagner fighters are currently on leave because) before that there was a long period of very hard work. (We are deciding on future tasks which will) be carried out for the greatness of Russia. (Wagner will be) active in Africa and at training centres in Belarus,” an audio message, believed to be that of Prigozhin, said. The message was posted on the Grey Zone account which is believed to be linked to the mercenary group.
News18 could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio messages.
“While we are not experiencing any deficit in personnel, we do not plan to conduct new recruitment. However, we will be extremely grateful if you keep in touch with us, and as soon as the Motherland requires a new group that will be able to protect the interests of our country, we will certainly start recruiting,” Prigozhin said, according to the BBC.
Prigozhin said that Wagner fighters can transfer to “other power structures” of Russia but said it was unfortunate that some chose to do that.
Wagner is currently training Belarus’ territorial defence forces and has been involved in training personnel in many parts of Africa as well. Some African leaders like the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, prefer to have Wagner mercenaries as his own bodyguards.
Prigozhin also offered his services to Niger after the central African nation declared General Abdourahamane Tiani as the new head of state on Friday days after putschists ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
“What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonisers. With colonists who are trying to foist their rules of life on them and their conditions and keep them in the state that Africa was in hundreds of years ago,” Prigozhin was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
