The links are irrefutable.
In an investigation published on February 23 in the magazine
Paris Match
, in partnership with Arte and Capa, the journalists Alexandra Jousset and Ksenia Bolchakova reveal the acquaintances between Evguéni Prigojine, one of the founders of the paramilitary company Wagner who remained in the shadows for a long time. , and the Russian government.
Relationships are not only real, but also ancient.
Thanks to a thousand documents sent to them by hackers, the two journalists, awarded an Albert London prize for their work on Wagner, documented the many actions of Evguéni Prigojine, nicknamed "Putin's cook
"
, in the service of the Kremlin: interference, troll farms, spinning mills, abuses... But also the financial networks of the former convict.
Intimacy with the Kremlin
Journalists notably had access to Prigojine's diary from 2012 to 2021. 37 visits to the Kremlin and six meetings with Vladimir Putin are listed there.
As
Paris Match
recalls , Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said in 2020 during a press conference that he did not know the paramilitary company: “
What is Wagner?
In Russia there is no private military company, it is illegal
”.
However, Prigogine's diary attests to the contrary: the two men met no less than 62 times.
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The links between the Russian government and the paramilitary company Wagner since its creation are also very real.
A list of armaments supplied from 2014 to 2015 by the Russian Ministry of Defense demonstrates this.
We see in particular multiple rocket launchers and light tanks.
But above all: a letter from the Russian Ministry of Defense, in 2016, raises the question “
of the dismantling of the Wagner group
”.
With all this written evidence, it is difficult for the Russian government to maintain its initial version.
troll farms
In addition to these not insignificant links, other documents establish the interferences of the craftsman of the Kremlin's base works.
In particular excerpts from Prigogine's accounts, where we can see that the latter invested to favor the party of one of Gaddafi's sons, Saif al-Islamet, but also the camp of his opponent, Marshal Haftar.
The “
troll farms
” are also mentioned, through the “
Magadan project
” for example: it is proven that seven employees in Mexico fed online disinformation in anticipation of the American election.
Once again, Prigogine did not hide it.
On the eve of the mid-terms, the man had proclaimed: "
We interfered, we are doing it and we will continue to do so
".
For this, he does not hesitate to put the price: He notably spent 1,676,970 euros for the month of December 2019 alone to finance his disinformation campaign and his influence operations.
acts of torture
In the investigation, the organization and acts of torture committed by the paramilitary company are also mentioned.
Since 2014, Wagner has been active on several continents.
In Donbass, Syria, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya and Mali following Barkhane's withdrawal.
And on their way they leave terrible abuses: "
It's their modus operandi
" commented Alexandra Jousset on BFMTV last year.
We see screenshots showing the execution of a man, his head attached with tape to a block of stone, using a club.
For his wishes for the year 2023, Prigojine brings out a club, engraved "
Happy New Year 2023
".
The tool then became the emblem of his barbarism.
Today, the man in the shadows is waging a battle against the General Staff and the Ministry of Defence.
On Tuesday, February 21, he accused the Russian general staff of committing "
treason
" by refusing, according to him, to provide equipment to his mercenaries, on the front line in eastern Ukraine.