Recommendations & Conclusions
4 items
6
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Guns for gold: the Wag…
Acknowledged
Over the past year and a half, the Russia-Ukraine war eroded the Wagner Network’s deniability and Prigozhin’s public arguments with the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the network’s long-suspected links to the Russian state. The brutality of its fighters in Ukraine is appalling but not atypical. So long as the …
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Over the past year and a half, the Russia-Ukraine war eroded the Wagner Network’s deniability and Prigozhin’s public arguments with the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the network’s long-suspected links to the Russian state. The brutality of its fighters in Ukraine is appalling but not atypical. So long as the network survives in some form, we believe that countries may still turn to it in future. Many leaders— mostly in insecure environments in Africa—are likely already to have known the price of engaging the network when they decided to work with it.
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Government response AI summary
The government partially agrees with the observation, stating its International Development Strategy addresses conflict and fragility in low-income countries, with ODA allocations prioritising these areas, and an additional £2.5 billion over two years for refugees, while noting no plans to reintroduce the FCAS spending commitment.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
11
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Guns for gold: the Wag…
Acknowledged
The Wagner Network began its activities in 2014. By early 2022, when the Government began to invest greater resource in understanding the network, Wagner fighters had already undertaken military deployments in at least seven countries. It is deeply regrettable that it took this long, and that the Government continues to …
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The Wagner Network began its activities in 2014. By early 2022, when the Government began to invest greater resource in understanding the network, Wagner fighters had already undertaken military deployments in at least seven countries. It is deeply regrettable that it took this long, and that the Government continues to give so little focus to countries beyond Ukraine. This leaves us even less prepared to respond to the evolution of this notoriously shape-shifting network.
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Government response AI summary
The government partially agrees with the conclusion, accepting the need to tackle Wagner and the value of declassifying intelligence where feasible. It highlights its efforts to expose Wagner's activities and states it has recently enhanced communication channels, particularly in Africa, to address the network's evolution.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
22
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Guns for gold: the Wag…
Acknowledged
There is an opportunity to disrupt the Wagner Network at a time when its future is uncertain.
Government response AI summary
The government agrees there is an opportunity to tackle Wagner and describes existing efforts such as coordinated action with partners, declassification and sharing of intelligence, and stepped-up communications to expose the group's activities.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
29
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Guns for gold: the Wag…
Acknowledged
The last decade has shown that the Wagner Network is highly effective at reconfiguring itself. We expect its activities to continue in some form, as they are too valuable, especially financially, to the Russian state to be lost. The question is not just what happens to the Wagner Network but …
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The last decade has shown that the Wagner Network is highly effective at reconfiguring itself. We expect its activities to continue in some form, as they are too valuable, especially financially, to the Russian state to be lost. The question is not just what happens to the Wagner Network but what happens to a wider set of PMCs in Russia which continue to have close and intimate relationships with Russian officials
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the committee's assessment of the Wagner Network's adaptability and destabilizing impact, noting the broader trend of Russia using Private Military Security Companies as proxies. It commits to paying close attention to the network's evolution and exploiting opportunities to apply further pressure.
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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office