Page:Seventh Report - Guns for gold- the Wagner Network exposed.pdf/7

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1. On 24 June 2023, thousands of Wagner fighters occupied Rostov-on-Don, the Russian military headquarters responsible for directing Russia’s renewed illegal invasion of Ukraine. Their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, then threatened to march on Moscow. The group came within 200km of the capital before Prigozhin and his fighters abandoned the mutiny, leaving significant questions over the future of the Wagner Group in Ukraine and abroad.

2. We began this inquiry in March 2022 to cast a light on what was (then) a shadowy and under-examined organisation. We aimed to expose the Wagner Group's modus operandi, its impact on UK interests and values, and how this impact was being addressed. This report draws on evidence gathered since that time to examine the nature and extent of the Wagner Group’s network and its expanding activities since 2014; the response of the UK Government; and how this response may affect what comes next. We used written and oral evidence; commissioned open-source research; reports from former members of the Wagner Network and drew on the many years’ investigative work of journalists and non-governmental organisations. Due to the secrecy and uncertainty that surround the Group’s deployments, we make clear our level of confidence when commenting on its countries of operation. We thank all those who contributed to our inquiry, sometimes at risk to themselves.

3. The remainder of this report largely refers to the ‘Wagner Network’, rather than the Wagner Group. This describes more accurately what Prigozhin has been allowed to build: a sprawling, decentralised network of individuals and commercial entities, which is active in several countries and for which the ‘membership’ is not always clear. Exploiting this web of entities is central to the network’s modus operandi. This network has benefited the personal financial interests of Prigozhin and the interests of Russian political elites. It