It had been an open secret for several months.
On Monday, September 26, the Russian oligarch Evguéni Prigojine admitted having founded the paramilitary group Wagner in 2014, to fight in Ukraine but also to extend the influence of Russia in Africa and Latin America.
The man was strongly suspected by many Western powers and Russian media of being the financier of the private military company, but he had always cast doubt on his actual role.
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In view of the very secret temperament of Evguéni Prigojine, this sudden announcement seems surprising to say the least.
"
Either he took this decision to reap some of the laurels on the Ukrainian front, where the only sectors unfavorable to the Ukrainian forces, in Bakhmout, are those where Wagner operates
,
or to protect himself, because he does not have only friends in Moscow
," confides a source in Russia, who prefers, out of caution, to remain anonymous.
Read also“Without the Wagner group, the Russian army is not a real military power”
The oligarch probably also preferred to put an end to speculation…
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