The Russo-Ukraine War made Prigozhin the head of Wagner's army

- World Window

- The chapter of Wagner's army is not over yet. Putin has signaled a tough crackdown on the rebels by arresting the former army chief

- Putin's backed Wagner Army owns gold mines in African countries and earns billions a year from them

Blood, Honor, Motherland, Adventure - this is the motto of the Wagner Army of Russia. In 2014, former army officers Dmitry Utkin and Yevgeny Prigozhin formed this private army with the cooperation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This private militia was created to help separatists in eastern Ukraine. This army helped covertly when Russia occupied Crimea. Private militias are not legally permitted in Russia. So these two established a company named Wagner Group. Wagner's army was operating in secret at the time, providing weapons and fighters to the Ukrainian rebels. The Russian military also sent many of these commanders on covert missions to countries in Africa and the Middle East. Wagner Army trained dangerous commanders are unleashed on Putin's enemies. There have been allegations for years that Putin is using Wagner's army to wipe out his enemies.

The company is funded by the Russian government. Until recently, this army was known as Putin's private army. It is because of this army that Putin has been in awe of the Russian military and the opposition. Prigozhin was a trusted aide of Russian President Putin. So much so that in Russia he is called 'Putin's cook', as he owns a restaurant and the same company provides catering services at the Russian president's functions. Putin trusted Prigozhin so much that he would eat the food he gave him without testing it. Prigozhin is one of Russia's most powerful citizens.

When Putin established the private army Wagner had only 250 soldiers. Most of the soldiers in Wagner's army were retired military officers from different branches of the Russian military. The number kept increasing year by year. By 2017, 5 to 6 thousand soldiers had joined the army since the Russian government started allocating the Matabar Fund. According to an American think tank in 2020, when Prigozhin became the head of the Wagner Army, the strength was between eight and ten thousand soldiers. Which increased to 50 thousand soldiers by December-2022.

According to a report by the British Ministry of Defence, the Wagner group received a recruitment drive during the Russia-Ukraine war. In several cities of Russia, posters for recruitment in Wagner's army were everywhere. Putin gave special permission for prisoners to join this private army. It is claimed that 80 percent of the 50,000 soldiers are criminals who have been released from prison. The government made it a condition for dangerous criminals to join the private army to release them from prison. The daughters of criminals who were about to join Wagner's army were released from prison with reduced sentences for various reasons. Such criminals used to join this private army in no time. In this way, Prigozhin made the strength of the army more than 50 thousand. Wagner's army helps Russia in the war in eastern Ukraine.

Wagner Army is said to be the cause of Ukraine-Russia war. The first attack on the Russian army was carried out by the Wagner army carrying the flag of Ukraine. This led the Russian military to believe that the Ukrainian military had started the war. A few days after that incident, Russia invaded Ukraine. In the event of a war between Russia and Ukraine, the importance of Wagner's army will increase, the Russian government will provide more funds and weapons. Also, because of the war, the strength of the private army was also allowed to increase. Prigozhin realized that this war would strengthen the private army.

The gold mines of many African countries are owned by the Wagner group and earn from them two to two and a half thousand crores of rupees a year. The Wagner group also has several shell companies. After obtaining a license for a single business, the company illegally siphons off profits from multiple businesses to the Russian government. Owner of the Wagner Company, which does everything from gold smuggling to timber manipulation, Prigozhin is a very ambitious man. With Putin's help, the Russian government took financial help. The entire empire was destroyed from it and now it was calculated to overthrow Putin himself. It is claimed that Prigozhin himself was on the verge of taking down Putin after he overthrew the Russian military by overwhelming the Russian military.

A settlement between Putin and Prigozhin was reached through the mediation of Belarus, but the matter is still not resolved. Putin is reported to have ordered the arrest of Russian military general Sergei Surovykin, who supported the coup. On the same day that the uprising took place, Putin called it a betrayal and made a statement that all those involved in it would be dealt with one after the other. Prigozhin and his close commanders were immediately charged with treason, but the Russian government withdrew the charges as part of a settlement. Even Russian President Putin is known for cracking down on opponents. Putin was upset with General Surovikin. In October 2022, Putin handed over command of the military to Surovykin, but after his tactics in the Ukraine war were ineffective, he was fired in January and replaced by Chief of Staff Gerasimov. To avenge the expulsion, Surovikin plotted a coup together with Prigozhin.

Putin must have anticipated Prigozhin's betrayal. The Russian military has recently begun efforts to rein in private armies. The quantity of weapons was reduced. New materials were also not available and government funding stopped. Prigozhin became frustrated with these restrictions and rebelled.

But this chapter is not over yet. Time and time again, Putin has reconciled, but now it will not be surprising if the rebels are wiped out one by one!