Wagner, who rebelled against Russia, initiated initiatives for his activities abroad.
According to The Wall Street Journal, high-ranking personalities from the Russian Foreign Ministry contacted the governments of Syria, the Central African Republic and Mali.
Against this background, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin flew to Damascus over the weekend to establish direct contact with Bashar Assad in Syria.
Vershinin urged Assad to prevent Wagner’s forces from leaving Syria without Moscow’s supervision.
In the statement made by Assad’s office after the meeting, it was stated that developments related to Wagner’s presence in Syria were discussed “in light of recent events.”
According to statements by two people close to the matter, Wagner’s forces, which are largely acting independently in Syria, were ordered to an airbase in the Syrian port city of Latakia under the control of the Russian Defense Ministry. while Wagner’s members followed this instruction.
RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES SUMMON THE PRESIDENT OF THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The next stage in the Kremlin’s attempts to seize control of Wagner and ensure the continuation of Wagner-supported operations on the African continent was the Central African Republic.
In this context, Russian Foreign Ministry officials held telephone conversations with the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin Archange Touadera, whose personal bodyguards include Wagner mercenaries.
In these talks, Russian officials assured that the crisis that erupted on Saturday will not hinder Russia’s activities in Africa.
The Presidential Security Adviser of the Central African Republic, Fidele Gouandjika, for his part, emphasized that the Wagner issue is an internal matter for Russia, noting that the events are not of great importance for his country.
“It is reassuring to see that nothing has changed,” Gouandjika said. If Moscow decides to withdraw them and send us Beethoven or Mozart, we will take them.” he performed the assessment of it.
RUSSIAN JETS FLIGHT TO MALI
Jets belonging to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry flew between Syria and Mali to ensure the continued presence of the Wagner group in Mali and protect its interests in the region.
In Mali, Wagner’s forces, supported by Russian warplanes and helicopters, have been fighting the Malian army since 2012.
J. Peter Pham, former US special envoy for Sahel Africa, said in a statement that “Wagner has helped Russia increase its influence and the government is reluctant to give it up.” he used the phrase.
Around 6,000 Wagner personnel carry out activities outside of Russia and Ukraine, from private security and demining in the 10-year-old civil war-stricken Central African Republic to defending oil wells and areas controlled by the government in Syria.
While the US and Western countries took various steps to stop Wagner’s activities and reduce his influence; The United States yesterday announced some sanctions against African-based gold companies that Wagner allegedly used to finance his war in Ukraine.
US officials said additional sanctions against Wagner will be announced in the coming days.
WAGNER’S CRISIS
Yevgeny Prigojin, the founder of the private security company Wagner, accused the Russian military of organizing an attack against Wagner and threatened to respond, Wagner’s fighters left Ukraine and entered the Rostov border region.
Faced with this situation, the Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case on the charge of “armed riots”. Russian President Vladimir Putin described Wagner’s revolt as “treason”.
Prigokhin announced that they would go to Moscow, and the Kremlin administration had increased security measures in many parts of the country.
Yevgeny Prigojin was reported to have accepted Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s proposal on June 24 to reduce tensions in Russia. Prigojin announced that they understood responsibility for the Russian bloodshed and would turn back their convoys and return to the camps according to plan.
The Kremlin declared that the criminal case against Prigokhin would be closed and announced that the “rebel leader” would go to Belarus.
“Today you have the opportunity to continue serving Russia or to return to your family and friends, by entering into a contract with the Ministry of Defense or other law enforcement agencies,” Putin said in a public speech on the channels television on June 26. Anyone can go to Belarus.” he had used the words. (AA)