Russian mercenary group Wagner, led by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, rebelled against President Vladimir Putin this weekend, having previously helped Russia invade Ukraine. The group has reportedly earned hundreds of millions of dollars by obtaining Russian government contracts, exploiting natural resources of other countries and backing unstable regimes. Forbes reports.
Victoria Nuland, the US undersecretary of state for political affairs, testified earlier this year that gold mining in the Central African Republic and Mali “directly funds the combat that [Wagner group fighters] are engaged in in Ukraine”.
The US is concerned about Wagner’s grip on resource-rich countries where it could encroach upon US interests. Wall Street Journal reported that the US was particularly concerned about the group seeking Libyan oil and leaked US government documents showed Wagner’s interest in cracking down on Haitian gangs.
Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking one of the group’s camps and led an armed rebellion on Friday. Fighters subsequently gained control over military facilities in the Russian cities of Voronezh and Rostov before marching toward Moscow. Prigozhin and Putin then agreed to end the rebellion.
Earlier this year, the US Treasury Department designated Wagner as a transnational criminal organisation, hoping to further sanction the company and limit its global business. Prigozhin has been blamed for financing the “troll farm” Internet Research Agency, which was accused of interfering in the 2016 US presidential election.
Wagner has offered security services to African and Middle Eastern countries and, according to the Financial Times, firms allegedly linked to Prigozhin generated $250m from natural resources in those areas during the four years before the Ukraine invasion. Prigozhin-tied entities have won at least $3bn in Russia’s catering contracts between 2011 and 2019, according to a recent UK government report.
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