Mercenaries? We’re ‘consultants’, say Wagner

Notorious private army leading Russia’s assault on Ukraine registers as a legal company for the first time

WAGNER, the once-shadowy Russian militia that now plays a leading role in the Ukraine war, has registered as a legal entity for the first time, posing as a management consultancy. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman and former petty criminal, has for years denied founding and bankrolling Wagner, since setting up the private mercenaries for action in Syria’s civil war.

The organisation has emerged as a key powerbroker in recent months, openly recruiting convicts from inside Russian prisons to fight in Ukraine.

Its fighters, some of whom have been implicated in killings of civilians, have made rare battlefield gains for Russia while the Kremlin’s army has been suffering embarrassing defeats.

Yesterday, it was revealed that the CHVK Wagner Centre has been officially registered as a company in Russia, the first legal entity linked to the militia.

The company officially lists “management consulting” as its core activity and a variety of business endeavours from book publishing to aircraft leasing as possible secondary pursuits. Registering a militia in Russia remains illegal.

While its owner is not listed, the company’s director is identified as Alexei Tensin, who served as an executive at the Russian state-controlled armsmaker Kalashnikov that produces the iconic AK-47 rifle. The appointment furthers an attempt to legitimise Wagner, whose fighters killed a defector with a sledgehammer and filmed it last November.

It was registered at the address of a new office tower called Wagner Centre that Mr Prigozhin opened in October, saying at the time it would host IT workers willing to “shore up Russia’s defence and security”. The new company profile was identified by the BBC Russian service, citing a corporate registry.

The move raises further questions about the growing power of Wagner, which has openly challenged the authority of President Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, Aleksandr Vucic, the pro-russian president of Serbia, yesterday voiced his concern about Wagner recruitment in his country. Mr Vucic, who has a good personal relationship with Mr Putin, told local television it was “not fair” of Serbia’s “Russian friends” to call Serbs to go fight in Ukraine.

“Why are you doing this to Serbia? Why is Wagner calling everyone from Serbia when you know that’s against the law,” he asked. Mr Prigozhin yesterday insisted there were no Serbian nationals serving in Wagner. It came as reports emerged that Russian troops blew up a tank filled with Wagner mercenaries in friendly fire, according to an intercepted phone call from the front lines.

Ukraine’s military intelligence published what it says was a conversation between a Russian soldier and his father in which the soldier described confusion on the battlefield.

“We blew up their tank and a Tiger (armoured vehicle) before we realised it’s our guys,” the unidentified soldier was heard saying.

It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the call.