Report fuels concern: are Wagner allies planning an attack on NATO behind Putin's back?
Created: 12/13/2022, 05:00
By: Marcus Giebel
Everyone is talking about the Wagner Group in the Ukraine war.
Other Russian paramilitaries could now come to the fore.
Apparently they are targeting NATO.
Munich - Is the Ukraine war just the beginning?
A report by the
Guardian
at least gives rise to fears that the conflict in eastern Europe could expand into a global flashpoint.
According to the British newspaper, a paramilitary neo-Nazi group close to the Kremlin has asked its members to provide information about border and military activities in the Baltic States.
Since Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania belong to NATO, an attack on one of these countries could result in the declaration of the alliance case.
The group mentioned is the "Task Force Rusich", which is part of the network of the much better known and feared Wagner group of entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Border area: Estonia (here the border near Narva) could become a target for Russian paramilitaries.
© IMAGO / Mauersberger
According to the article, anonymous sources speak of an "extraordinary" step.
At the same time, the
Guardian
's informants speculate that this is a sign of how disappointed the paramilitaries are with the Kremlin and especially with the course of the war and the defeats in Ukraine.
Ukraine war and Putin: Kremlin chief losing influence on far-right paramilitary groups?
The increasingly offensive behavior of Prigozhin was recently interpreted to mean that Vladimir Putin's powerful confidant could increasingly want to seize command in view of the setbacks of the Russian troops.
His units are already leading the offensive on the currently highly contested city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
The developments appear to be raising fears among observers that Putin could lose control of the far-right paramilitary groups that are working alongside official Russian troops to take over, and now do much more destroy, Ukraine.
The methods used by these groups could lead to escalation and ultimately provoke NATO.
Paramilitaries in the Ukraine war: Wagner & Co. are apparently largely autonomous
According to the sources, it is unrealistic for the Kremlin to be involved in Rusich's current actions.
Thanks to its espionage systems, Moscow is undoubtedly already in possession of the information that is apparently now being requested.
A
Guardian
source has stressed that the most important question is: "How much control does the Kremlin really still have?"
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There is already evidence that some paramilitary groups like Wagner operate with considerable autonomy and have the same access to Putin as government officials.
Rusich's interactions with Prigozhin's camp were documented.
However, it is unclear to what extent the group is operating under the strategic supervision of Wagner or even the Russian Ministry of Defense.
While Russia's ex-president Medvedev threatens the West with the "most massive weapons of destruction" and Putin's advisors could shift personnel, Rusich is said to want to establish himself as a sabotage and reconnaissance unit.
However, the crowdfunding campaigns would indicate that the group is not supported by Russian logistical operations.
Rusitsch in the Ukraine war: Extreme right-wing paramilitaries known for their brutality
Last Wednesday, the group asked for information about the military units in the Baltic States and their patrol movements, the locations of the border posts, the surveillance systems and the vehicles via their own Telegram channel.
In addition, she wanted to find out about security facilities and the coordinates of fuel depots and security systems in border areas.
Rusich fighters were located via secret services in the regions of Donbas, Kharkiv and in Cherson.
In Syria and also in the fighting in Crimea in 2014, they made a name for themselves because of their brutality.
(mg)
