Tag Archives: mercenaries

Politico reports: Former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince and a team of defense contractors are pitching the White House on a plan to vastly expand deportations to El Salvador — transporting thousands of immigrants from U.S. holding facilities to a sprawling maximum security prison in Central America. The proposal, exclusively obtained by POLITICO, says it would target “criminal illegal aliens” and …

Politico reports: A group of prominent military contractors, including former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, has pitched the Trump White House on a proposal to carry out mass deportations through a network of “processing camps” on military bases, a private fleet of 100 planes, and a “small army” of private citizens empowered to make arrests. The blueprint — laid out in …

The Associated Press reports: Five people including the founder of the Blackwater security firm went on trial in Austria on Thursday, accused of exporting two crop-spraying aircraft that were allegedly refitted for military purposes without required permits. Prosecutors say that two Ayres Thrush agricultural aircraft were equipped with armor, extra tanks and a special camera that could be used for …

Agence France-Press reports: President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that explosive traces were discovered in the remains of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his crew after their plane crashed over Russia in August. Kremlin critics and Western countries have suggested foul play. Putin’s comments were the first significant update on Russia’s investigation into the crash. “The head of the …

Deutsche Welle reports: Russian investigators on Sunday confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin was among those who died in a plane crash in Russia earlier this week. Prigozhin was the leader of the Wagner private military group, which staged a mutiny against the Kremlin in late June. Russia’s Investigation Committee said that the results of genetic tests had confirmed the identities of …

Reuters reports: The Kremlin said that Western suggestions Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had been killed on its orders were an “absolute lie” while declining to definitively confirm his death, citing the need to wait for test results. Russia’s aviation authority has said that Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, was on board a private jet which crashed on …

The Washington Post reports: In Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first remarks on the mysterious plane crash in the Tver region of Russia on Wednesday, he appeared to eulogize Wagner Group chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, but stopped short of confirming his death. He promised a full investigation, saying it would take “some time.” He said he had known Prigozhin, an ally-turned-rival who …

The Independent reports: Masked men claiming to belong to the Wagner Group have warned the Kremlin to “get ready for us” after the reported death of their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. “There’s a lot of talk right now about what the Wagner Group will do. We can tell you one thing, we are getting started, get ready for us,” the masked …

Sky News reports: Ten people have been killed in a private jet crash north of Moscow – with the Russian Civil Aviation Authority saying Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list. Seven passengers and three crew were on board the Embraer aircraft, which was en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, TASS news agency reported. The jet is said to …

The Associated Press reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin days after a short-lived rebellion by the mercenary chief and his private army, the Kremlin’s spokesman said Monday. The three-hour meeting took place at the Kremlin on June 29 and also involved commanders from the military company Prigozhin founded, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Wagner mercenaries …

The Associated Press reports: Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is in St. Petersburg and his Wagner troops have remained at the camps where they had stayed before a short-lived mutiny against Moscow, the president of Belarus said Thursday. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko helped broker a deal for Prigozhin to end his rebellion on June 24 in exchange for amnesty and …

The Guardian reports: A Russian general who previously led the invasion force in Ukraine has not been seen in public since Saturday, with US intelligence reportedly claiming he had prior knowledge of the uprising led by the Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Gen Sergei Surovikin is the head of the Russian aerospace forces and formerly Moscow’s supreme commander in Ukraine. Prigozhin …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin planned to capture Russia’s military leadership as part of last weekend’s mutiny, Western officials said, and he accelerated his plans after the country’s domestic intelligence agency became aware of the plot. The plot’s premature launch was among the factors that could explain its ultimate failure after 36 hours, when Prigozhin called …

The New York Times reports: With palpable anger, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia made his first public comments since a paramilitary revolt was called off on Saturday, saying in a five-minute speech that the uprising led by Yevgeny V. Prigozhin — who he did not mention by name — failed because “the entire Russian society united and rallied everyone.” …

The New York Times reports: Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group who mounted a brief uprising against Russia’s military command over the weekend, broke a long period of silence on Monday to deny, once more, that he had any intention of seizing power with his march on Moscow. “We went to demonstrate our protest, and not …

The Telegraph reports: Russian intelligence services threatened to harm the families of Wagner leaders before Yevgeny Prigozhin called off his advance on Moscow, according to UK security sources. It has also been assessed that the mercenary force had only 8,000 fighters rather than the 25,000 claimed and faced likely defeat in any attempt to take the Russian capital. Vladimir Putin …

Reuters reports: Russia has faced “a challenge to its stability” and must remain united behind President Vladimir Putin, its prime minister said on Monday, after mercenaries briefly occupied a strategic command centre for its Ukraine war and marched on Moscow. The armed mutiny over the weekend by the powerful Wagner Group and its abrupt ending with no apparent penalties for …

The New York Times reports: The outlines of a deal that appeared to defuse a rapidly evolving Russian security crisis began to come into focus late Saturday, as the Kremlin announced that a Russian mercenary leader, who for nearly 24 hours led an armed uprising against the country’s military leadership, would flee to Belarus and his fighters would escape repercussions. …

The Washington Post reports: Mercenaries are halting their travel toward Moscow and turning back from the city, Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin said in an audio message Saturday. After a day of mounting tension in Russia as Prigozhin’s forces advanced in the direction of the capital, his statement appeared to signal a possible end to the immediate crisis. Prigozhin said …

Deutsche Welle reports: Moscow’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has issued a statement telling residents in the capital to avoid unnecessary travel and also declared that Monday would not be a working day for most people — except for core services, security services, the military and so forth. “In order to minimize risks, I, within the framework of the operational headquarters, decided …