The United States is examining how the Wagner Group's short-lived mutiny against Russia's military establishment might affect the mercenaries' operations in the Middle East and Africa, officials said.
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin startled the world by leading an armed revolt on Saturday that brought his fighters from the Ukrainian border to within 200 kilometers of Moscow beforeU.S. policymakers view the mercenary force through the prism of a rivalry with Russia for influence in Africa and the Middle East and accusing it of gross human rights violations. The U.S. military has clashed directly with Wagner forces in Syria.
Some of those African leaders, said the official, worry deeply about internal rivals and Wagner's march on Moscow could fuel their fears.Although not officially part of Russia's military, the Wagner Group is important to Putin because it can promote his foreign policy priorities and reach at a fraction of the cost. Putin said on Tuesday thatThe organization has deployed thousands of troops to Africa and the Middle East.
"They are a destabilizing influence in that region and certainly a threat, which is why they've been declared a transnational criminal organization," Ryder said.
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