Wagner Mercenaries Identified Guarding Russia's Shadow Fleet Through English Channel
An investigation by The Times and European partners identified 18 Wagner mercenaries among 83 security guards aboard Russian tankers transporting sanctioned oil through the English Channel since 2023. Wagner is a Russian state-funded private military company that operated in Syria, Libya, and Ukraine before its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's death in 2023. The discovery highlights how Russia is using former military operatives to maintain its shadow fleet operations despite international sanctions and enforcement efforts.
An investigation by The Times in partnership with European outlets identified 18 confirmed Wagner mercenaries among 83 security guards aboard Russian tankers making 189 journeys through British waters since 2023. The guards were identified through Russian social media, crewing websites, and CV-sharing services, with at least 26 having fought in Syria and others working for various private military companies. The guards are reportedly unarmed and instructed to allow boardings while quickly reporting interactions with European authorities. This discovery comes as the EU expanded its naval enforcement mandate in the Mediterranean to inspect suspected shadow fleet vessels, and follows Britain and France's recent interception of a sanctioned Russian oil tanker. Russia's Foreign Ministry warned that EU enforcement actions pose a threat to maritime security, while several European countries have already boarded and seized shadow fleet vessels this year.
What different sources said
- The IndependentLeft
Members of Wagner mercenary group ‘guarding Russia’s shadow fleet through the English Channel’
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