Wagner Group activity after leadership death and subsequent developments
Representatives of the Wagner Group reported to authorities on a Wednesday that their ranks remain active even after the loss of their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Following Prigozhin’s burial in a St. Petersburg cemetery, many mercenaries began considering new employment opportunities as they reassess their options in a volatile security landscape.
One Wagner representative, speaking in an audio recording shared by the Bashni Istorii portal, noted that tens of thousands of highly trained fighters are ready to operate and defend their homeland, particularly in Ukraine. Yet, due to well-known constraints they cannot be deployed immediately in that theater.
According to the speaker, the Wagner contingent now faces the task of seeking work elsewhere. Regions in Africa and the Middle East are mentioned as potential fronts, though the speaker warned that conditions there are not easy and competition for similar missions is intensifying.
He described stiff competition with the Department of Defense and the National Guard, both of which are pursuing parallel objectives in the same theaters of operation. The aim is to coordinate activities in a way that overlaps with Wagner’s historical scope.
The spokesperson noted that Prigozhin raised this issue during his last trip to Africa, where many governments showed interest in contracting Wagner services. However, future agreements remain uncertain and subject to ongoing negotiations.
Efforts are being made to secure placements for Wagner personnel, though timing and duration of any engagement remain unclear. Observers are advised to monitor the international situation closely. If authorities permit a return to the Ukrainian theater, continued recruitment of personnel is expected, with work following accordingly.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin previously praised the Wagner personnel for their role in capturing the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region last spring, highlighting their contribution to that operation.
Following a high-profile clash with the state, Wagner’s influence waned after a failed armed uprising on June 23 and 24, which led to an agreement to relocate bases to Belarus. In the weeks before Prigozhin’s death, he acknowledged that Wagner would suspend fighting in Ukraine and would restart activities in Africa, signaling a strategic shift.
On his return from Africa, Prigozhin traveled to Moscow where a private aircraft he was aboard crashed approximately 300 kilometers from the capital. The causes of the crash remain unclear, though supporters of Prigozhin, opposition figures in exile, and Western media have alleged orders from Moscow to liquidate the Wagner leader. The Kremlin has rejected these claims.
Various reports indicate that some Wagner personnel left Belarus, while Minsk contends that Russian mercenaries remain in place. Other members have reportedly taken vacation or paused operations as the organization contends with a changing security environment.
Expert assessments vary on whether Wagner still exists as a separate mercenary organization. Even after a decree requiring paramilitary forces and volunteers to pledge allegiance to the Russian flag, some observers continue to view Wagner as a potential threat across Ukraine, Belarus, or Africa.
Prigozhin was buried in his hometown of Saint Petersburg in a secret ceremony conducted with tight security, according to coverage from local outlets. The decision to hold a discreet funeral was reportedly made at the highest levels of the Kremlin and the Federal Security Service, aiming to shield the proceedings from public scrutiny.
Sources cited by media indicate that the Kremlin has not fully forgiven Prigozhin for past actions, describing betrayals and humiliations that contributed to the armed uprising and affected public confidence in the military leadership in Moscow and among Russian citizens. The ongoing situation continues to attract international attention
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