 The financial empires of Russia's private armies should be closely scrutinised after the aborted Wagner group mutiny, experts have said. The UK has sanctioned the private military contractor (PMC) but the process was described by one researcher as 'uneven', with piecemeal targeting of the entities by Western nations over the past three years. In the fallout from the mutiny, around 19 other PMCs are thought to have been absorbed by Vladimir Putin's Ministry of Defense. Calls had been growing before the rebellion, where leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led his troops to within 124 miles of Moscow, for the 'criminal organisation' to be classified as a terror group by the UK. But Moscow's apparent attempt to assimilate the soldiers and commanders — together with other PMCs who are said to have committed atrocities in Ukraine — poses new questions about the groups' aims and financial links. The Molfar open source intelligence community has been monitoring developments involving the PMCs, also known as non-state security actors. The entities include Rusich, regarded as a neo-Nazi organisation, which is estimated by the analysts to currently have a couple dozen fighters. Others have been identified by the investigative community as Redut, which has up to 7,000 mercenaries, Achmat, with around 3,500, Veterans, with around 2,000, the Russian Imperial Movement, with around 200, and the Russian Legion and Tiger, with around 500 each. Fighters of the Wagner private mercenary group in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on June 24 (Picture: Reuters) The UK sanctioned Wagner and a handful of facilitators in March 2023 but the details may already be out of date through the Kremlin's attempts to absorb or possibly eliminate its leadership. The tool is meant to freeze assets by preventing any UK business or citizen from dealing with funds held by th){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
The financial empires of Russia’s private armies should be closely scrutinised after the aborted Wagner group mutiny, experts have said.
The UK has sanctioned the private military contractor (PMC) but the process was described by one researcher as ‘uneven’, with piecemeal targeting of the entities by Western nations over the past three years.
In the fallout from the mutiny, around 19 other PMCs are thought to have been absorbed by Vladimir Putin’s Ministry of Defense.
Calls had been growing before the rebellion, where leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led his troops to within 124 miles of Moscow, for the ‘criminal organisation’ to be classified as a terror group by the UK.