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Who is Andrei Troshev, the veteran mercenary Putin has suggested to lead Wagner?
Troshev was awarded “Order of the Red Star” twice for his service in Afghanistan. In 2016, he received Russia's highest medal, “Hero of Russia”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the name of Andrei Troshev, a retired colonel and senior mercenary known as “Sedoi” - that means “Grey Hair” - to replace Yevgeny Prigozhin as the chief of the Wagner group.
The European Union (EU) sanctions document described Troshev as one of the founding members and the executive director of the Wagner group. The document further said that Troshev was directly involved in the military operations conducted by the Wagner Group in Syria. France's Treasury also confirms Troshev's callsign as “Siedoy”.
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The Kommersant newspaper quoted Putin as referring to “Sedoi” as the actual commander of the Wagner group.
After a failed mutiny against the Russian leadership that occurred in June, Putin offered the Wagner private military company the option to continue serving as a unified unit under their same commander.
Who is Andrei Troshev?
-Andrei Troshev, also known as “Sedoi”, was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) on April 5, 1953, and is considered a founding member of the Wagner Group, according to EU sanctions document.
-One of Troshev's associates is Dmitry Utkin, a former GRU military intelligence special forces officer and co-founder of the Wagner Group.
-Troshev fought in Afghanistan during the Soviet Union's decade-long war there. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he served in the Russian army in the North Caucasus and later became a commander in the quick reaction special forces unit of the Russian interior ministry known as SOBR.
-He was awarded “Order of the Red Star” twice for his service in Afghanistan. In 2016, he received Russia's highest medal, “Hero of Russia,” for his role in the storming of Palmyra in Syria against Islamic State militants.
Putin on Wagner group
Putin spoke about a Kremlin event that took place on June 29, in remarks to Kommersant newspaper. He mentioned that 35 Wagner commanders, including Prigozhin, attended this event. The Russian President expressed both appreciation for their efforts in Ukraine and disappointment over their involvement in the mutiny, which he had previously condemned as an “act of treason”. He offered the Wagner commanders various options for their future service.
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Previously, Putin had said that Wagner troops had to make a choice between signing contracts with the Defense Ministry, relocating to neighboring Belarus, or retiring from service. However, presently, Putin stated that he wanted Wagner to retain their same commander, known by the call sign “Grey Hair”, referring to Andrei Troshev.
Speaking to Kommersant, Putin emphasised that “rank-and-file soldiers of Wagner have fought honorably” in Ukraine, adding that “it’s a cause for regret that they were drawn” into the mutiny.
(With inputs from Reuters,)
