The United States responded by recognizing Wagner Group as the founder of "international criminal organization"

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman and founder of Wagner Group, satirized th

The United States responded by recognizing Wagner Group as the founder of "international criminal organization"

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman and founder of Wagner Group, satirized the White House statement that Wagner was an "international criminal organization" and said that from this moment on, he would become a "peer" with Americans.

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According to the report, John Kirby, strategic communication coordinator of the US National Security Council, said at a press conference on the 20th that the US Treasury Department identified Wagner Group as an "international criminal organization" and will impose additional sanctions on the group next week.

"Now, Wagner's private military group and Americans have finally become peers," Prigozin's press office said in a message on the social platform Telegraph. From now on, our relationship can be called' criminal gang fights'. "

Extended reading:

Russia surprised westerners by deploying the best weapons to the mercenary Wagner.

A private military organization named "Wagner" is famous in the front line of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. This week, they first announced the news that Russia "liberated" the salt mine town of Soledad.

13, the Russian Ministry of Defence issued an announcement, acknowledging that the process of controlling Soledad was completed by "Russian Army" and "Wagner Group Fighter". This is a rare public recognition and affirmation of the existence and important role of Wagner Group by Russian officials since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Wagner began to recruit in Serbia.

The picture above is a recent report in the British Guardian: Wagner Group of Russia fought a "fierce and bloody battle" for the control of Soledad.

According to the western media, Wagner Group has long been the "frontline commando" of Putin's special military action against Ukraine and the "pioneer" of Russia in the battlefield of Wudong.

Regarding the combat effectiveness of Wagner Group, Kritchenko, deputy battalion commander of Ukrainian troops stationed in Bakhmut, described this in an interview with Washington post in June, 5438+05: "When we kill five of their 10 soldiers at one time, they will quickly replenish them to 10 soldiers in a few hours ... Although they are small groups, the personnel are constantly replenished.

Since May, the mercenaries of Wagner Group have been fighting in the suburb of Bakhmut, Ukraine, which is an important front line. The Russian Ministry of Defence said on June 38+03 that in the Battle of Soledad, the soldiers of the Wagner Group completed their attack on the Ukrainian army. Controlling Soledad enabled the Russian army to advance to nearby Bakhmut and cut off the supply line of the Ukrainian army. A reporter from the British newspaper The Guardian reported that Wagner is now often used by Russia as a "commando for frontal attack positions", while the recently mobilized Russian recruits are "mostly deployed in defensive positions".

Russian journalist simonov recently posted several pictures on his Telegram account, showing that the Wagner Group troops deployed in Bakhmut have used the latest and most powerful Russian main battle tank: T-90M.

Wagner group troops

Russia has deployed the best equipment for Ukrainian irregular troops, which has surprised westerners. Forbes reporter Axe recently said in an article discussing the relationship between Wagner and Russian military equipment: "T-90 is very precious and not easy to buy. Why did the Kremlin give or sell these tanks to Wagner? "

This may be the reason why Ukrainian officials are eagerly waiting for the new tanks and armored vehicles promised by the United States, France and Germany. British Prime Minister Sunak 65438+1October 14 announced that his country will send the Challenger 2 main battle tank to Ukraine, and Britain may become the first European country to help Ukraine with western-style main battle tanks. It is reported that the serial number of these main battle tanks is 14.

There are indications that Wagner is playing an increasingly important role in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. So, what is the background of this private military group?

According to the Wikipedia website, the founder and actual owner of Wagner Group is Russian businessman Prigozin, who is also known as "Putin's chef" because his catering company is often responsible for hosting dinners for President Putin and foreign dignitaries. But it was not until last September that Prigozin publicly admitted that he was the founder of Wagner. His subsequent statement called Wagner a "patriot group": "I cleaned old weapons, sorted out bulletproof vests, and found experts who could help me. From that moment on, in May of 20 1, 20 14, a group of patriots were born, which became the Wagner Group. "

"Putin's Chef" Prigozin (right)

Otkin, the military leader of Wagner Group, is a veteran who participated in the first and second Chechen wars. Otkin worked for a long time in the special forces of GRU, the secret intelligence agency of the Russian Federation. After retiring, he joined Moran Security Group, a private company founded by Russian veterans, on 20 13, mainly engaged in combating pirates around the world. During his tenure at Moran Security, Otkin also participated in the task of "protecting oil fields and pipelines" in Syria.

According to the Associated Press, the Wagner Group under Prigozin has been active in dozens of countries (mainly African countries, including Central Africa, Libya and Mali) in recent years, and cooperated with governments of various countries to carry out military and political projects such as pro-Russian propaganda. Wagner Group first appeared in Ukraine on 20 14, and participated in Russia's "recycling" of Crimea. In the same year, the organization supported pro-Russian armed forces in Lugansk, Ukraine, and fought against Ukrainian government forces.

From June 5438 to February 2022, Pentagon spokesman Kirby claimed that Wagner Group had "50,000 fighters" in Ukraine, including "40,000 prisoners". Prigozin and his Wagner Group have been sanctioned by the United States for many years, and the United States has recently taken additional measures to try to control Wagner's access to weapons.

"Russia Today" (RT) recently opened an online news website in Serbian, and released a job advertisement for Wagner to fight in Ukraine. In the advertisement, the organization claimed that it would provide "very attractive" measures to encourage conscription.

This move was immediately protested by the United States. According to the Associated Press, on Thursday (12), Chad Park Jung Su, a consultant in the State Council, told Serbian President Vucic that he was deeply concerned about the activities of Wagner Group and its attempt to recruit soldiers in Serbia and other parts of the world. "We see that the Wagner Group is seeking to recruit soldiers from Serbia and other places, and we think this is intolerable," he told reporters after the meeting.