Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Paragraph: 13
Wagner Network operates globally, undertaking military and non-military operations in many countries since 2014.
Conclusion
The Wagner Network is a collection of individuals and entities linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin and undertaking military, economic, political and influencing operations internationally. It formed in 2014 and began its military activities in Ukraine, where it has had sustained involvement. The network subsequently expanded to several other countries in Africa and the Middle East. It has undertaken offensive military operations in at least seven countries since 2014: Ukraine; Syria; the Central African Republic (CAR); Sudan; Libya; Mozambique; and Mali. There are 10 further countries where we have medium or high confidence that it has been involved in a non-military capacity since 2014, and many more countries where the network’s presence is rumoured.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees with the committee's description of the Wagner Network, stating it prioritizes intelligence gathering, has sufficient resources to track Wagner, and continually assesses the group and its impact through various sources and international partners. It confirms ongoing monitoring of at-risk countries and efforts to dissuade engagement with Wagner.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
13
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
2. In recent years, Wagner has grown in importance, both for Russian foreign policy, and for many countries in which it operates. We agree with the Committee that it has had a destabilising impact, and that Russia’s use of Wagner could represent a wider shift towards the Kremlin using Private Military Security Companies (PMSCs) as proxies. 7. As the Committee proposes, we will continue to work bilaterally and multilaterally to help countries address the humanitarian, foreign and security policy challenges Russia and Wagner have exploited, as well as to highlight its track record of causing instability and atrocity. We have dedicated new resource to containing and countering Wagner and other Russian proxy PMSCs and are working closely with Allies to maximise our collective impact.
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