Putin proposes a high-ranking mercenary as Prigozhin’s replacement at the head of the Wagner Group

July 14 () –

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed Andrey Troshev, a high-ranking mercenary, as the new leader of the Wagner Group, replacing Yevgeni Prigozhin, who at the end of June led an attempted rebellion by the paramilitary organization.

During an interview for the Russian newspaper ‘Kommersant’, Putin has assured that he is considering a series of options for the future of the paramilitaries, even going so far as to propose the continuity of their activities but now under the leadership of Troshev.

Troshev — known by the alias ‘Sedoy’ — is a retired Russian colonel and a founding member and CEO of the Wagner Group. This mercenary was previously included in the sanctions lists of the European Union, the United Kingdom or Ukraine, among others.

European Union documents show that Troshev served as chief of staff for the Wagner Group in its previous operations in Syria. The United Kingdom also points to him as the leader of the organization, which “has repressed the population in Syria,” reports .

Likewise, the Russian president has assured that the Wagner Group currently “does not exist” according to Russian legislation, although he has commissioned the Government to determine the legal status of the organization.

Prigozhin led an attempted rebellion in Russia at the end of June that was finally put down through the mediation of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, who also offered to welcome the leader of the Wagner Group in the country.

The agreement reached also implied the withdrawal of the members of the Wagner Group -who came to advance towards Moscow- with a view to their possible integration into the Army and the withdrawal of charges for those involved in the revolt.

Prigozhin, of whom it has been said that he had already stayed in Belarus but that days later he was located in Saint Petersburg, has not been seen since. The Kremlin confirmed a meeting between the Wagner leader and Putin just days after the revolt.