Russia’s Wagner Private Military Group Received $1 Billion State Funding, Putin Confirms

(CTN News) – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin disclosed on Tuesday that the controversial private military group Wagner had received approximately $1 billion in funding from the state over the past year. This revelation represents a shift from previous denials by Moscow concerning any official connections between the Russian state and Wagner.

Putin announced a ceremony expressing gratitude to soldiers for their role in quelling Wagner’s attempted rebellion over the weekend, stating that the Defense Ministry and the state budget had fully financed the entire maintenance of the Wagner Group.

According to Putin, the state disbursed 86.26 billion rubles ($1 billion) between May 2022 and May 2023 for maintenance and incentive payments alone.

Putin Hints at Possible Law Enforcement Inspections into Wagner’s Finances

Additionally, Concord, the company that owns Wagner and is under U.S. sanctions, earned an additional 80 billion rubles through catering contracts with the Defense Ministry during the same period.

Putin also hinted at the possibility of law enforcement inspections into Wagner’s finances, suggesting a potential investigation into any misappropriation of funds.

Wagner and its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, came into the spotlight following Russia’s large-scale military offensive in Ukraine in 2022. Previously, Wagner had operated covertly in various global conflict zones, including Ukraine, Syria, and several African countries, while Prigozhin had denied the group’s existence.

Accusations of heinous acts have been levied against Wagner fighters, including mass executions, rape, child abductions, and torture, during their deployments.

Police Raids Uncover Cash, Weapons, and Fake Passports During Wagner’s Failed Rebellion

Recent police raids conducted in properties connected to Prigozhin during Wagner’s rapid march towards Moscow revealed stacks of U.S. dollars, gold bars intended as salaries for the fighters, firearms, fake passports, and an unidentified white powder.

A St. Petersburg news outlet initially published photographs of these findings but later deleted them after the Kremlin agreed with Prigozhin to abandon the revolt.

As part of the agreement, President Putin pledged to drop criminal mutiny charges against Prigozhin in exchange for his agreement to go into exile in neighboring Belarus.

The possibility of further investigations into Wagner’s activities and finances raises questions about the group’s future and potential accountability for alleged atrocities committed by its members.