Wagner Group: Russia's hired killers, who have been given the responsibility of killing the Ukrainian President, are so dangerous that Europe has also banned

Now five days have passed since Russia attacked Ukraine. Despite this, the Russian army has still not been able to block the way for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by besieging the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The Russian army, which is attacking from four directions, has so far not had the expected success against Ukraine. Due to this, now the President of Ukraine has been given the contract from Russia to target. It is reported that Russia has assigned a group of hired killers - the Wagner Group - to kill Zelensky.

What is Wagner Group?

The Wagner Group has been accused of secretly working for the Russian government. This group is known as Russia's private military company. This organization has also been accused of fighting proxy wars for the Russian government in different countries around the world. The group has also been part of civil wars, especially in countries such as Libya, Syria, Mozambique, Mali, Sudan, and Central Africa. Between 2015 and 2018, the Wagner Group also fought with the Russian army and Bashar al-Assad's troops.

Who is the leader of this organization?

The leader of the Wagner Group is Dmitry Utkin, who has previously been a lieutenant in the Russian Army and has also served in the GRU, the intelligence agency of the Russian Federation. He is believed to have discovered the organization in 2014 and kept in touch with the Kremlin. However, the talk of Russia's connection with this organization has always been denied.

Dmitry Utkin was involved in the Chechen War (1994–96 and 1999–2009) on behalf of the Russian military. In addition, he took part in military operations in Ukraine in 2014 while in the Russian army before forming the Wagner group. By 2013, Utkin rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in Russia's intelligence agency. In March last year, some pictures of him were revealed, in which tattoos related to an army belonging to the Nazi Party of Germany were seen on his chest.

What is the strength of the Wagner Group?

According to a 2017 Bloomberg report, the Wagner Group has so far raised an army of 6,000 hired killers with the support of Russia. According to the US think tank, the Wagner Group is a private organization on paper, but its management and operations have been revealed to be conducted by the Russian military and its intelligence agency. This private army is made up of former officers and soldiers of the military itself and does target killings by taking betel leaves. That is, overall they are mercenaries, who do not have any special responsibility towards any government.

What are the allegations against the Wagner Group?

The Wagner Group has so far been accused of human rights violations and atrocities on ordinary people. Especially in Central African countries, this organization has been accused of vandalizing people. Apart from this, in many other countries of interest to Russia, this organization is also accused of inciting violence, capturing natural resources, and taking the lives of common people. In Donbass, Ukraine, in 2014, the Wagner Group was accused of torture and brutal murder of ordinary people. In December 2021, the European Union banned eight people from this organization.