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President Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, mutiny in Russia and wetin be Wagner Group wey dey operate for Ukraine?

Logo of Wagner group

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 Source: BBC

Di head of Russia Wagner mercenary group say im don seize "all military facilities" for di southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

Yevgeny Prigozhin announcement provoke anger from President Vladimir Putin wey call am "a stab in di back" and pledge to punish doz wey don "betray" Russia.

Prigozhin say im aim no "be military coup but a march for justice" and e dey come afta serious arguement wit Russia military chiefs increase dramatically.

Di Wagner Group na private army of mercenaries wey don dey fight alongside di regular Russian army for Ukraine.

Pipo believe say dem get tens of thousands of Wagner troops for dia.

Dem play major part in di long and costly fight to take di city of Bakhmut from Ukrainian forces.

Di group describe dia sef as a "private military company", but di Russian goment bin don recently take steps wey dem suspect say e dey against dem.

And on 23 June Prigozhin say Russia justification for dia war for Ukraine na lie and ordinary excuse for Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to promote imsef.

Wetin be Wagner Group and who dey fight for dem?

Di Wagner Group (dem dey officially call PMC Wagner) na for 2014 pipo sabi dem, wen dem dey support pro-Russian separatist forces for eastern Ukraine.

At dat time dem just be secrete organisation, wey dey operate mostly for Africa and di Middle East, and believe be say dem bin get just about 5,000 fighters - mostly veterans of Russia elite regiments and special forces.

Since den, dem don grow well-well.

"Wagner almost certainly now dey command 50,000 fighters for Ukraine and don become a key part of di Ukraine campaign," di UK Ministry of Defence bin tok for January.

Dem say di organisation start to recruit in large numbers for 2022 becos Russia get problem wit finding pipo for di regular army.

About 80% of Wagner troops for Ukraine come from prisons, di US National Security Council tok at di beginning of dis year.

Although mercenary forces dey illegal for Russia, di Wagner Group register as a company for 2022 and open dia new headquarters for St Petersburg.

"Dem dey openly recruit pipo now for Russian cities, on billboards, and dem dey see dem for Russian media as a patriotic organisation," Dr Samuel Ramani, of di Royal United Services Institute think tank tok.

Wetin di Wagner Group dey do for Ukraine?

Di Wagner Group dey heavily involved in Russia capture of di city of Bakhmut, for eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian troops say di Group send dia fighters wey attack in large numbers over open ground, wia many pipo die.

First, di defence ministry no tok say di Wagner Group get hand for di fighting. However, dem later praise dia mercenaries for playing a "courageous and selfless" role.

How di Wagner Group start?

One BBC investigation into di Wagner Group bin highlight di believed involvement of a former Russian army officer, Dmitri Utkin.

A veteran of Russia wars for Chechnya, e be like say na im be Wagner first field commander and to don name di group afta im former radio call sign.

Di current head na Yevgeny Prigozhin, a rich businessman alias "Putin chef" becos e bin provide catering for di Kremlin.

"Di Wagner Group first operation na to help Russia annex Crimea for 2014," Tracey German, one professor of conflict and security for King's College London tok.

Weeks bifor Russia invasion of Ukraine, tori be say Wagner carry out "false flag" attacks to give di Kremlin fake idea for invasion.

How Wagner don clash wit Russia military commanders?

In recent months, Prigozhin don kontinu to accuse di Defence Minister Shoigu and di head of di army for Ukraine, Valery Gerasimov, of incompetence and of deliberately undersupplying Wagner units wey dey fight for Ukraine.

Di Russian Defence Ministry don now tok say "volunteer formations" for Ukraine must sign contracts wit dem, by di end of June.

Dem no mention Wagner Group for di announcement, but di move dey like attempt by di goment to gain more control over dem.

Prigozhin issue one angry statement declaring say im force go boycott di contracts.

Wia else di Wagner Group dey operate?

Since 2015, Wagner Group mercenaries don dey Syria, dey fight alongside pro-goment forces and guarding oilfields.

Wagner Group mercenaries dey also operate for Libya, wa dem dey support di forces wey dey loyal to General Khalifa Haftar.

Di Central African Republic (CAR) don invite di Wagner Group to guard diamond mines, and tori be say dem dey guard gold mines for Sudan.

Di goment of Mali, for West Africa, dey use di Wagner Group against Islamic militant groups.

Tori be say Prigozhin dey make money from di Wagner Group operations. Di US Treasury say e use im presence to enrich mining companies, wey na im get, and dem don place dem under sanctions.

Which crime di Wagner Group alleged to don committ?

In January, a former commander claim asylum for Norway afta escaping from di mercenary Group. E claim to don witness war crimes for Ukraine.

Three Wagner Group mercenaries dey alleged by Ukrainian prosecutors to don kill and torture civilians near Kyiv for April 2022, alongside regular Russian troops.

German intelligence say Wagner mercenaries fit also don massacre civilians for Bucha in March 2022.

Di United Nations and di French goment don accuse Wagner members of committing rapes and robberies against civilians for Central African Republic.

In 2020, di United States military accuse Wagner mercenaries of planting landmines and oda improvised explosive devices in and around di Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Source: BBC