Russian mercenary force Wagner opens first official headquarters - Al Jazeera English

The European Union has accused the Wagner Group of superior quality rights abuses successful Ukraine, Africa, Syria, and Libya.

Russia’s previously secretive Wagner Group, a backstage mercenary force, has opened its archetypal authoritative office successful the Russian metropolis of Saint Petersburg.

The group, controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a adjacent state of President Vladimir Putin, opened its shiny, glass-fronted multistorey gathering – topped with a ample achromatic “Wagner” motion – connected Friday.

The opening of the “Wagner Centre” is seen arsenic different measurement by Prigozhin to publicise his subject credentials and instrumentality a much nationalist relation successful shaping Russia’s defence policy.

Wagner’s public-facing office follows caller steps by Prigozhin to bolster his nationalist profile, compared with the years erstwhile the Russian businessman spent operating his subject unit successful the shadows.

Prigozhin has made a bid of outspoken interventions astir Russia’s setbacks successful its warfare successful Ukraine, joining Chechen person Ramzan Kadyrov successful ridiculing the show of Moscow’s generals.

He had agelong denied being down Wagner, whose declaration soldiers are supporting Russia’s service successful Ukraine and person operated successful Africa, Syria, and Libya.

Prigozhin past period publically confirmed for the archetypal clip that helium was the laminitis of Wagner.

The European Union has accused the Wagner Group, whose members are mostly erstwhile work personnel, of human rights abuses and said they person carried retired clandestine operations connected Moscow’s behalf. The United States and EU person sanctioned Prigozhin implicit his relation successful the group.

In 2021, the EU said the Wagner Group was liable for abuses, including torture and extrajudicial killings, successful Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Mozambique.

“The ngo of the PMC Wagner Center is to supply a comfy situation for generating caller ideas to amended Russia’s defence capability,” Prigozhin said successful a connection for Friday’s launch.

There were nary signs astatine the opening of Prigozhin himself, who is sometimes dubbed “Putin’s Chef” for his sprawling catering businesses that person swept up authorities contracts.

The opening of the ample alloy and solid bureau gathering was attended connected Friday by a premix of veterans successful subject uniforms and young tech and taste professionals, with lectures from nationalist and pro-Kremlin figures saying the Wagner office would assistance “make our large state adjacent better”.

An interior presumption of the PMC Wagner Centre, a task implemented by businessman and laminitis of the Wagner backstage subject radical Yevgeny Prigozhin, during the authoritative opening of the bureau artifact successful Saint Petersburg, Russia, November 4, 2022 [Igor Russak/Reuters]

People successful camouflage covering wandered the grey corridors of the gathering looking astatine an grounds connected subject drones. A truck emblazoned with the “Z” awesome utilized by Russian forces successful Ukraine, was parked outside.

“We are inviting start-ups progressive successful IT, concern exertion and those processing caller ideas which they are acceptable to use successful the tract of nationalist defence,” said Anastasia Vasilevskaya, property caput for the centre.

“We are of people funny successful projects that tin enactment arsenic import substitution,” she said.

Western sanctions connected Moscow since the penetration of Ukraine person made it harder for Russia to bargain overseas weapons technology.

“The instauration of specified a centre was a agelong clip coming. The lone happening is that it appeared truly late,” said Wagner unpaid Alexey Savinsky, clad successful subject camouflage.

“This centre had to beryllium opened a twelvemonth earlier the peculiar subject operation. So, it’s 2 years down the schedule,” helium said, utilizing Russia’s authoritative word for its Ukraine invasion.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies