MERCENARY WAGNER OPENS ITS FIRST OFFICIAL HEADQUARTERS IN RUSSIA’S SAINT PETERSBURG

Sat 05 November 2022:

The formerly covert Wagner Group, a mercenary organization, has established its first formal headquarters in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The organization, run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close supporter of President Vladimir Putin, unveiled its gleaming, multistory skyscraper on Friday. The building is topped with a giant white “Wagner” sign.

Prigozhin himself, who is frequently referred to as “Putin’s Chef” for his massive catering businesses that have attracted government contracts, was not present at the opening.

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Veterans in uniform and young workers from the tech and cultural industries mixed at the opening of the massive steel and glass office building on Friday, where speeches from nationalist and pro-Kremlin leaders proclaimed that the Wagner headquarters will “make our great country even better.”

The opening of the “Wagner Centre” is seen as another step by Prigozhin to publicise his military credentials and take a more public role in shaping Russia’s defence policy.

Wagner’s public-facing headquarters follows recent steps by Prigozhin to bolster his public profile, compared with the years when the Russian businessman spent operating his military force in the shadows.

Prigozhin has made a series of outspoken interventions about Russia’s setbacks in its war in Ukraine, joining Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in ridiculing the performance of Moscow’s generals.

He had long denied being behind Wagner, whose contract soldiers are supporting Russia’s army in Ukraine and have operated in Africa, Syria, and Libya.

Last month, Prigozhin openly reaffirmed for the first time that he was Wagner’s founder.

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The Wagner Group, whose members are largely ex-servicemen and women, has been charged by the European Union with violating human rights and conducting covert operations for Moscow. Due to his involvement in the group, Prigozhin has received sanctions from the US and EU.

The Wagner Group was accused of crimes in 2021 by the EU, including torture and extrajudicial killings, in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Mozambique, Ukraine, Syria, and Libya.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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