DISINFO: There is no link between Russia and the Wagner despite what Germany and France say
SUMMARY
The head of French diplomacy Jean-Yves Le Drian has indicated that France could withdraw its troops from Mali if the transitional authorities allied with the Wagner company.
Wagner is accused, notably by France, of acting on behalf of the Kremlin where it does not want to appear officially. Germany also agreed with this on 15 September in a tweet by its Defence Minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. "Russia" is used in the tweet in blind reference to Wagner. This confusion exasperates Moscow, which has always denied any link with the famous private security company.
RESPONSE
Classical denial of any involvement of the Kremlin with its proxy operational groups.
The denial of both the Russian State and Yevgeny Prigozhin to have any link with the Wagner mercenary group is understandable since this activity is illegal and punishable accoridng to article 359 of the Russian criminal code. The fact that this group can operate at a very large and international scale for many years without any prosecution proves that it benefits from Kremlin high level protections. Moreover, its management and operations are deeply intertwined with the Russian military and intelligence community. It has been established for instance that some members of the group use passports that have been issued for a special unit of the Ministry of Defence.
András Rácz phrases it: Wagner should be considered a proxy organization of the Russian state rather than a private company selling services on the open market.
Read also related stories: The Wagner Group is not supported by Russia, News about Wagner in Libya distort Russian policy.