Wagner Commander Reveals Mercenary Group's New Role for Russia

The U.K.'s Ministry of Defense (MOD) said on Wednesday the new commander of the Wagner Group recently released a video statement in which he "implicitly" confirms that the paramilitary group has integrated with Russia's national guard.

In his first public video released since the death of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anton Yelizarov, the new head of the mercenary organization, also said a new headquarters is being built.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email on Wednesday for comment.

Wagner rose to prominence as a major military force for Russia after Moscow's formal armed forces were met with setbacks on the battlefields of Ukraine. After securing successes for Russia in late 2022, Wagner became the largest Russian force in Bakhmut, which saw fierce fighting for months before Vladimir Putin's military eventually claimed control of the city.

However, Prigozhin maintained a contentious relationship with his country's Defense Ministry, which culminated in his claim that Russian forces had attacked his men in Ukraine. This led to Prigozhin briefly mounting a rebellion against Moscow in June 2023. Though the mutiny was quickly quelled, Prigozhin died two months later in a plane crash that many Western observers have speculated was orchestrated by the Kremlin.

Yelizarov, who goes by the call sign "Lotos," became the most senior Wagner official following Prigozhin's death and is described as a seasoned soldier. One of his most notable battlefield accomplishments came in January 2023, when he was in command of the mercenary group when it captured Soledar, a city located near Bakhmut.

The U.K.'s MOD said in its Wednesday update on X (formerly Twitter): "In his video, Yelizarov detailed the location of Wagner's new headquarters at Karachi Lageri 'Cossack Camps,' almost certainly in Rostov, southern Russia, co-located with the barracks of Russia's 150th Motor Rifle Division."

The MOD's post continued: "Yelizarov further claimed that Wagner's new base would also house the Russian National Guard's (Rosgvardiya) new Volunteer Crops, implicitly confirming Wagner's subordination to Rosgvardiya."

According to British intelligence, Rosgvardiya will likely use "experienced" Wagner troops for a new formation that will be used to "reinforce Russia's war effort in Ukraine and expand Russian influence in Africa."

The U.K.'s MOD offered a possible explanation for why Russia decided to fold the mercenary group into its formal military ranks.

"The Russian state highly likely authorized the construction of Wagner's new base and highly likely perceives that by subordinating Wagner to Rosgvardiya, it has removed any potential threat Wagner might pose to Russia's regime security," the ministry wrote.

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