Future without Prigozhin

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【Summary】The future of Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary group, is uncertain as the Russian government considers establishing a legal framework for private military and security companies. The profile and activities of Wagner would likely be limited under official control mechanisms.

FutureCar Staff Aug 24, 2023 10:09 AM PT

With many of the details remaining unclear, Russian observers believe that Wagner and its fighters will still likely have a role to play, despite the shifting dynamics concerning the mercenary group's longevity.

According to Patrick Wouters, Senior Associate Researcher at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS), the Wagner group "still doesn't have any legal status in Russia."

"After the short-lived coup, the Duma has reportedly started preliminary discussions on establishing a legal framework for Russian PMSCs (private military and security companies)," says Wouters, who's also a former Belgian Air Force pilot and NATO official.

Wouters suggests there is no doubt that the profile and array of ‘security services' that could legally be provided "would significantly be limited as compared to the present Wagner activities" and that "official control mechanisms would certainly be ironclad, given the insurrectionist antecedents of Wagner dating back to this early summer."