Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Some 50000 in Ukraine now and... What is Russia's Wagner Group of mercenaries in Ukraine?

Published 23 January
[...]
Snce 2015, Wagner Group mercenaries have been in Syria, fighting alongside pro-government forces and guarding oilfields.

There are also Wagner Group mercenaries in Libya, supporting the forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar.

The Central African Republic (CAR) has invited the Wagner Group to guard diamond mines, and it is thought to be guarding gold mines in Sudan.

IMAGE

The government of Mali, in West Africa, is using the Wagner Group against Islamic militant groups.

Yevgeny Prigozhin is thought to make money from Wagner Group operations abroad.

The US Treasury says he uses its presence to enrich mining companies which he owns and has placed them under sanctions.

An unnamed White House spokesman told Reuters that Mr Prigozhin may want the Wagner Group to capture Bakhmut so he can control salt and gypsum mines in the area.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60947877

Some 80% apparently recruited from Russian prisons as Putin's recruiting was slow.

And don't forget macho-man Kadyrov

God picks, IF. See - We've read many in Russian intelligence are not enamored with Kadyrov, so the suggestion some are working against
him is thoroughly believable. Also, i'd guess many in the FSB would be unhappy with Putin going to war so recklessly.
Is Chechnya Taking Over Russia?
[...]
Fear of Mr. Kadyrov extends far beyond Chechnya. Allegedly, several hundred Chechen security operatives are permanently based in Moscow, where some are said to “tax” businesses and engage in other illegal activities. The local Russian police appear unable to intervene when their Chechen colleagues make arrests outside their jurisdiction. On occasions when men from Mr. Kadyrov’s inner circle have been implicated in grave crimes, federal authorities have been blocked from investigating them.
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=170396634

Who looks to be head of a very much Mafia-like organization. Protection rackets et al.
Unsurprisingly he praises the Wagner people. Just got another on him. Stay tuned.