Despite the noisy announcements of Wagner Group's return to Ukraine, it appears that the task was at least halted and most likely abandoned at all. 10 years after the creation by Evgeny Prigozyn and Dmitri Utkin, this most celebrated private military company is slow moving into history. But even if yet what remains of Wagner's Group is eliminated and absorbed by the regular army, the decade of its existence will not be without consequences.
The last period was not easy for the environment associated or sympathetic with Wagner Group. In April, a video appeared on Ramzan Kadyrov's telegram channel, on which Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Chechen peculiar intent unit "Achmat", announced the joyful news: the celebrated Alexander Kuzniecow, codenamed "Ratibor", decided to leave Wagner Group and join the ranks of "Achmat".
In order to realise how shocked this information was in the Russian mercenaries' environment, 1 must realize who “Ratibor” is. To compose about him as a man of legend is not enough. He was a erstwhile GRU specialist soldier, 1 of the first members of the Wagner Group, commander of the 1st Assault Squad. He was in Syria, Sudan, Libya and Ukraine. He bounced Syrian Palmira from the hands of ISIS, participated in the fighting under Deir ez-Zor. He was the first to come to Sudan to negociate contracts in Mali. In 2019 he was badly wounded during the attack on Tripoli.
When in March 2022, after a failed effort to take Kiev and to end the war quickly, Russian troops were stuck and feverishly drawn from Africa Wagner's Group, it was “Ratibor” that was the first 1 to be transferred with his squad from Libya to Donbas. Despite the conflict with the defence ministry of Kuznetov which was already ongoing, he did not hesitate to respond erstwhile the homeland called, and introduced his troops to the fight immediately. So rapidly that – as a legend popular in the environment says – Vainners did not even have time to replace summertime African uniforms with something more appropriate to Ukrainian winter conditions.
Although in January 2023 during the fight for Soledar he was seriously injured for the second time, he continued alongside Sergei Prigoszyn and Dmitri Utkin to the very end. He was immortalized on the recording as he clogged the flag of Russia and the Wagner Group's banner on the tower in the Bachmuta captured in May 2023. In June he participated in the so-called. The March of JusticeWhen the mercenaries took Rostov over Don and went to Moscow. After the rebellion ended, he did not agree to impose a fresh command, and after the death of the Primogyn he was seen as the 1 who could reconstruct the "old, unruly Wagner Group". And it was this uncompromisingness that made the Kremlin force Anton “Lotos” Jelizarov to take command. There were even rumors that in order to prevent Ratibor from taking control of mercenaries, Russian services tried to poison him – Kuzniecow survived this attempt, but he had to pay for it with cardiac problems.
Wagner Group members prepare to leave South Military territory Command and return to their base in Rostov nad Don in Russia on 24 June 2023.
So no 1 would be peculiarly amazed by the decision of “Ratibor” to leave: twice badly injured, with serious wellness problems, after more than 20 years of service first in the army, and then in the Wagner Group, and inactive 3 years in prison, where he did time for kidnapping and robbery, he would have a full right to remainder in the eyes of vasners. Controversy caused this, where Kuznetov decided to proceed his service.
The hatred of vasners for Chechens Kadyrov is common and profoundly rooted. It comes not only from the memory of the Chechen Wars – in which any of Wagner Group members participated – but besides from conflicts much later. It is adequate to mention that during the revolt of the Primogyna Kadyrov declared that he would suppress the rebellion with his hands just “Achmat”. In fact, Ratibor himself publically criticized the cadivers, claiming that more than a real fight they were curious in making propaganda films later published on Tik-Tok.
Now Kuzniecow announces that it will be within this "tiktok army" that he will play Wagner's Group, participate in the recording with Alaudinov and even talk publicly, though with clear embarrassment, the words "Achmat strength!" which is the militant cry of the Cadirists.
There were various attempts to explain this decision. There were voices that Kuzniecov had been promised any kind of retirement in exchange for the function of propaganda blowout. Others claimed to have sacrificed his honor in order to proceed serving his country, even in the ranks of the “Achmat”. Otherwise, “Ratibor” most likely did not see a future for himself in the Wagner Group, due to the fact that this 1 slow ceases to exist. And his departure is the eventual burial of hope for those who believed that the organization could inactive be rebuilt.
1 Volunteer Corps, which was to be a vasner unit within the Rosgwardy, has not yet started training or even recruiting and will most likely not start again. Deprived Vainners who failed to sign contracts in Africa divided up with another units. “Lotos” Jelizarov inactive makes a good face for the bad game and occasionally publishes recordings from Wagner Group’s “Training Camp”, attempting to hide the fact that this camp consists of respective tents by means of appropriate framing.
The Primogyn army hasn't completely disappeared yet. It is inactive present in Africa – in Mali, the Central African Republic and Sudan, and even continues to recruit for African contracts. The tiny contingent remains in Belarus, where the armed forces there train. But Wagner's group is just a shadow of each another a year ago, erstwhile it counted respective tens of thousands of people, it won Soledar and Bachmut and even managed to challenge Putin. And it will most likely shortly yet be absorbed by the Ministry of Defence, determined to never again let the situation that took place in June 2023. As ex-Wainner said: “Now, the [Wagnera Group] Orchestra is primarily a Russian military fraternity, a united effort to defend its homeland. Even if you service in another unit, but proudly wear the orchestra emblem, you are already 1 of them.”
Several tens of thousands of people came through Wagner's Group, joined by a story of elite, a kind of code, a memory of victories, even if exaggerated, and a cult of their fallen – or even murdered – commanders. And at the same time having a sense of being betrayed, abandoned, and deceived, and repeatedly: for the first time, erstwhile they were denied participation in, as was then thought, a three-day winning war in February 2022. For the second time during the Bachmuck meat machines, the Ministry of Defence sabotaged their efforts to conquer the city. And finally, erstwhile after the March of Justice they were promised immunity and preservation of the structures of the organization. This tens of thousands of “brotherhood” will not disappear, and in the future it can origin many problems, both Ukraine and the West and Russia itself.
