Russia's Wagner mercenary group may be restructured after leader's death
The death of Evgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, in a plane crash on Wednesday has raised speculation about the future of the group.
Anatol Taranu, a Moldovan political commentator, believes that the crash may be linked to a desire for revenge by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the group's alleged role in a coup attempt in June. Taranu also believes that the group could be taken over by Russia's intelligence services.
"After Prigozhin, Wagner will be taken over by the Russian authorities," Taranu said. "Of course, in a more camouflaged form, because Wagner, in the form in which it operates in the world's nerve centres, where coups take place and where Russia needs to promote its interests outside official policies, will continue to be valuable to the Russian Federation, to the current regime in Moscow. In all likelihood, the leadership of Wagner will be effectively taken over by officials from Russia, most likely by the intelligence services."
Wagner is a private military company that has been accused of human rights abuses in several countries, including Syria and Libya. The group is believed to be close to the Kremlin and has been used to support Russian interests in a number of conflicts.
The plane crash that killed Prigozhin and nine other Wagner members is still under investigation. The Russian government has not commented on Taranu's allegations.
