Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 31
31
Accepted
Government under-estimated Wagner Network, lacking strategy, leadership, and joined-up working.
Recommendation
For nearly 10 years, the Government has under-played and under-estimated the Wagner Network’s activities, as well as the security implications of its significant expansion. The Government has not told us anything specific that it is doing to challenge the network’s influence and impunity in countries other than Ukraine, beyond sanctions coordination (which itself appears limited). The Government has also failed to adequately structure its response to the Wagner Network. When asked to give evidence to this inquiry, six weeks were spent on internal discussions to try to identify which was the lead Government department, demonstrating a lack of leadership across Government to tackle the Wagner Network. In oral evidence, the Minister was unable to demonstrate joined-up working within the department, lessons-sharing, strategic thinking, or a clear definition of what the Wagner Network is. It is evident that a taskforce should have been established at least by
Government Response Summary
The government states it has a dedicated team coordinating its response to the Wagner Group and Russian PMSCs, implying the structural issue raised by the committee is being addressed. It also commits to continuing bilateral and multilateral work, dedicating new resources, and working with allies.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
7. The Government will pay close attention to the repercussions of these events in the coming months, including how they play out across Wagner’s dispersed network in Africa. We agree with the Committee that we now have an opportunity to put further pressure on Wagner and other PMSCs. 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. Agree. 30. We have a team dedicated to coordinating the Government’s response to the cross-cutting challenge posed by Wagner Group and Russian use of PMSCs as proxies. This team is also focused on driving forward international cooperation on the issue. Responsibility for this work is assigned to a specific Senior Official in the HMG Russia Unit, accountable to departments through the HMG Russia Strategy. 31. The team does not sit under the Office for Conflict Stabilisation & Mediation (OCSM), but works with and alongside OCSM. OCSM (which is part of the FCDO rather than the Cabinet Office) is responsible for developing new approaches to reduce conflict and instability, minimising the opportunities for state and non-state actors to undermine our interests. OCSM capability therefore focuses on providing analysis and advice on the enablers and drivers of conflict, including conflict actors, such as PMSCs. This includes monitoring activities of groups like Wagner, capturing evidence to inform our response to conflict, exploring how PMSCs impact conflict dynamics and peace dialogues, and working with partners to build resilience to counter vulnerabilities that conflict actors might exploit. Given reports of Wagner committing conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine, CAR and Mali, our efforts under the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) focus on strengthening justice and accountability for survivors. For example, in Ukraine, we are supporting the Office of the Prosecutor General to investigate and prosecute these crimes in a survivor-centric manner more effectively. The Government will continue to monitor the situation and address it through delivery of our PSVI strategy, which was launched in 2022. 32. OCSM’s work is important in building the UK’s understanding of conflict and how to resolve the problems posed by entities such as Wagner. But HMG Russia Unit will continue to co-ordinate efforts to constrain and counter Wagner Group and other Russian proxy PMSCs given their relationship with the Russian state.