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1 1 (August 1, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemjs0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con re &on I flesedrch Service horujig Aecj I ive le a~m 'e1914 Updated August 1, 2023 Russia's Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) Russia uses private military companies (PMCs) to project power globally. These outfits range in size and scope and act as an unofficial (albeit nominally illegal) tool of Russian foreign policy. The most prominent Russian PMC is the Wagner Group, headed by Kremlin-connected businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin. Instead of a single entity, the Wagner Group is more of an umbrella organization for multiple entities, operations, and actors overseen by Prigozhin. Wagner has played a key role in Russia's war in Ukraine and operates in multiple countries, particularly across Africa. Despite its widespread operations, Wagner's status is unclear after an aborted mutiny against the Russian government in June 2023 (see below). The U.S. Departments of State and the Treasury have designated the Wagner Group and Prigozhin for sanctions under multiple executive orders. In January 2023, the Biden Administration designated Wagner a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) and simultaneously designated it under a sanctions program pertaining to the Central African Republic (CAR). Several bills in the 118th Congresses would respond to the Wagner Group through sanctions, reporting requirements, and other measures. Considerations for Congress include the impact of such measures on Wagner's operations, its post-mutiny status and relationship with the Russian government, the extent to which the executive branch is providing sufficient information to enable oversight, and potential unintended consequences. History According to media reports, Wagner evolved out of earlier Russian PMC outfits, including groups operating in Syria in 2013. During this time, Russia was experimenting with PMCs, including their role and relationship to the state. Russian military intelligence (Main Directorate of the General Staff, or GU) reportedly helped establish and oversee the Wagner group, including creating training centers near GU Spetsnaz (elite reconnaissance) bases. Wagner first appeared as an entity in 2014, during Russia's seizure and occupation of Ukraine's Crimea region. Wagner was involved in Russia's invasion of eastern Ukraine through 2015, including carrying out alleged assassinations of local rebel leaders. During this time and into 2016, Wagner became involved in supporting Russia's intervention in Syria. Starting in the late 2010s, Wagner established operations in several African countries, providing security services and, in some cases, engaging in mining and other private-sector activities. These countries include the Central African Republic, Libya, Mozambique, Mali, and Sudan. Public-Private Partnership The Wagner Group, and Russian PMCs more generally, are emblematic of Russian public-private partnerships defined by the delegation of limited governmental authority to private entities. PMCs nominally remain illegal under Russian law. The Russian government, however, provides them opportunities and protection unavailable to other businesses or people. The government, in essence, loans authority to these private entities, provided they operate at the behest of and according to the government's preferences. The U.S. Department of the Treasury identifies the Wagner Group as a designated Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) proxy force, despite it being run by a private citizen. Such entities can pursue private or commercial interests, but they must fulfill government requests when called upon and ultimately remain under the direction of the Russian government. Prgozhrn Network and Organaation Prigozhin founded and reportedly funds and oversees the Wagner Group. He is subject to U.S. sanctions and under indictment for numerous activities, including interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Prigozhin denied operating the Wagner Group (going so far as to sue journalists in the United Kingdom for claiming he did) until September 2022, when he publicly admitted founding it. Prigozhin also reportedly oversees a broader network of entities beyond Wagner, including, for example, the Internet Research Agency, designated a Russian troll farm by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Several of these entities and individuals connected to them also are subject to U.S. sanctions. Prigozhin has used the Wagner Group to increase his personal political and financial influence by demonstrating his utility to Russian policymakers, often at the expense of other Russian agencies, resulting in increased tension and infighting among other security and military leaders. o pe rations Wagner publicly advertises a full spectrum of regime security services, including propaganda and other information operations. The marketing emphasizes that these services come without the conditionality often associated with Western donor support. Wagner has been linked to numerous human rights and war crimes violations, including in Ukraine and in African countries where Wagner operates. Some operations seem to have a clear connection to Russian foreign policy objectives, whereas others appear to be equally (or more) commercial in nature. Wagner Group personnel appear to range from relatively professional and well-equipped veterans of the Russian military to convicts recruited hastily from Russian prisons

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