Why the Wagner Group Cannot Be Easily Absorbed by the Russian Military- Can They Survive Even If Prigozhin Didn’t?

What will happen to Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group if its main recruiter, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been confirmed dead and buried?

Can Wagner Group Survive Even If Prigozhin Didn’t? [Photo: CBC]

Can Wagner Group Survive?

SOURCE– The United States officials raised one possibility that the Wagner Group will be put directly under the control of Russia’s Defense Ministry or its military intelligence agency, the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces known as the GRU. But for Russia, the Wagner Group would be difficult to manage and involve major costs. So, how this might impact the interests in the West?

The Wagner Group, often called a private military company, has operated only at the behest of the Russian state, with its diplomatic and financial support. Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that he staged the mutiny because he objected to an order by Sergei Shoigu, a Russian Defense Ministry, requiring all members of Russian paramilitary groups to sign contracts directly with the ministry, but this followed years of conflict between Prigozhin and Shoigu.

Before the plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the GRU had begun trying to take control of the Wagner Group’s units in Africa. One of the Russian officers said that the Russian military intelligence officers would be stationed onsite and a new Russian PMC would replace Wagner. The Wagner Group will continue to operate even if under a different name.

READ ALSO: Secret Negotiations Between Russia And North Korea Securing Arms Deal For The War In Ukraine