Kremlin reclaims control of mercenaries to cement global influence

Seven months after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian state takes control of private mercenaries and forces them to implement the Kremlin's program, - reports the Politico website.

Prigozhin died in a plane crash in the Tver region in August of last year. Before his death, he had loudly criticized the way the war in Ukraine was being conducted and opposed the leadership of the Ministry of Defense. His insubordination led the Kremlin to want to subjugate the Wagnerians. Experts believe that the attempts by the defense ministry to take over the Wagner Group prompted Prigozhin to start an unsuccessful rebellion in June 2023.

After his death, Russia completely took control of his mercenaries. Drawing on sources among American officials, Politico reports that former Wagnerians have joined at least four private military groups. This move aims to prevent any repeat of last year's rebellion.

According to Politico insiders, private Russian armies are involved in special missions in Ukraine and Africa.

"They are expected to play a similarly destabilizing role on the international stage as under Prigozhin's command," say Politico sources.

With the presence of mercenaries in Africa, Russia's influence is strengthening. This was evident in Niger, where at the beginning of April, hundreds of Russian mercenaries arrived in the capital Niamey. A few days later, the US administration announced it was withdrawing around a thousand of its troops from Niger after a 10-year presence.

There are also numerous former Wagnerians in another African country, Chad. The Joe Biden administration announced this week that it would also be withdrawing its troops from there, who were on anti-terror missions.

"This move was widely seen as another example of Russia displacing US influence," reports Politico.