Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ally says he plans to set up his own Wagner Group-style private military company.
Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, wants to one day set up his own private military company in the style of the Wagner mercenary group.
In a Telegram post on Sunday, Kadyrov said the Wagner Group, which has fought alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, has achieved “impressive results” and private military companies are a necessity.
“We can say with confidence that Wagner has proven himself in military terms and put an end to discussions about whether such private military companies are needed or not,” said Kadyrov, who has governed the Chechen Republic since 2007.
“When my service to the state is over, I seriously plan to compete with our dear brother Yevgeny Prigozhin and create a private military company,” said 46-year-old Kadyrov. “I think everything will work out.”
Kadyrov and Prigozhin lead forces in Ukraine that operate largely independently of Russia’s military command. Both men are staunch allies of Putin, but have also publicly spoken out against the Russian military leadership.
Wagner’s rise outside of traditional Russian military command structures has raised concerns among Western diplomats that such groups could one day pose a threat to stability in Russia.
The Wagner group has played an increasingly prominent role in Russia’s war in Ukraine, spearheading a month-long attack on the eastern city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
Kadyrov – son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in a 2004 bombing in Grozny – has formed a tacit alliance with Prigozhin. They reinforce each other’s criticism of the Russian military leadership and call for more energetic warfare.
Prigozhin, who spent the last decade of the Soviet Union in prison for robbery and fraud, has been an associate of Putin for years.
His catering company snagged government contracts, earning him the nickname “Putin’s chef,” while he used Wagner mercenaries to fight alongside Russian soldiers in Syria and in conflicts across Africa to advance Russia’s geopolitical interests.
After years of denials, he admitted his ties to Wagner last year and said he interfered in US elections.
Mounting evidence suggests that the Kremlin has sought to curb Prigozhin’s excessive political influence by ordering him to stop publicly criticizing the Defense Ministry and advising state media to stop naming him or Wagner.
Kadyrov said such groups are “both necessary and necessary”.
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