Dmitry Valerievich Utkin

The actual founder of the Wagner Group is Dmitry Valerievich Utkin. The name Wagner derives from his call sign - "Wagner". Dmitry Utkin, a shadowy figure whose call sign “Wagner” allegedly inspired the Russian private mercenary group’s name, died alongside Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash on Wednesday.

Utkin, who served in the Russian military intelligence, is often cited as the founder of Wagner Group, but some analysts now say that rumour was simply a smokescreen for Prigozhin, who eventually acknowledged his leading role in the armed group.

Born on June 11, 1970 in Asbest, a town nestled on the slopes of the Ural Mountains and named after its local Asbestos industry, Utkin appears to have joined the military at the age of 18. He served in the Spetsnaz GRU, Russia’s military intelligence division, between 1988 and 2008, according to his online CV unearthed by the investigative website Bellingcat. As a lieutenant colonel, he served in Russia’s two wars in Chechnya between 1994-2000.

The 700th Separate Special Detachment of the 2nd Separate Special Brigade of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU), stationed in Pechory, Pskov Oblast, was commanded by Utkin from 2009 until 2013. Utkin reportedly founded his own mercenary organization almost soon after arriving in Russia in 2014.

The time at which he left the military remains unclear, but in 2013, he appears to have been employed by an obscure Hong-Kong-based private military company (PMC) called the Slavonic Corps. The only known deployment of the PMC was in Syria, where they reportedly lost a battle with the fighters linked to al-Qaeda armed group.

The Wagner Group first appeared in 2014 when Russia sent troops into Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, annexing the territory and began supporting separatist rebels in the east of the country. The group itself is believed to have been named after Utkin’s call sign Wagner, a reference to Richard Wagner, the favourite composer of German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It remains unclear how involved Utkin was in forming the group, but it has been proven that Utkin played a key role in the war in Ukraine’s Donbas region and is even reported to have been injured in the fighting.

It is said that Vagner has a swastika tattooed on his shoulder, wears a helmet with horns, and practiced a form of paganism.

The appointment of Dmitry Valerievich Utkin as general director is a private decision of the owner of Concord Management and Consulting LLC," the representative of the businessman said. He added that previously Utkin had never held positions in the structures of an entrepreneur. "SPARK-Interfax" reported that this post was taken by Dmitry Valerievich Utkin - the full namesake of the alleged commander of the "Wagner" PMC.

In 2016, he was decorated with the Order for Courage for his services in Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Between 2015 and 2022, various sources show that Utkin was active in Syria and on the African continent with Wagner. A BBC investigation in 2021 linked him to documents that revealed Wagner’s involvement in the Libyan civil war.

In 2022, after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Utkin appears to have participated in the long and bloody battle for Bakhmut. However, some reports suggest that he remained focused on the group’s activities in Africa and Syria.

In his commanding position within the Wagner Group, he was personally present on the combat field in Ukraine coordinating and planning the activities of Wagner members. Given his commanding position, he is thus responsible for and has actively implemented actions which undermined and threatened the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Canada previously sanctioned Prigozhin and Utkin.

Dmitry Utkin, a shadowy figure whose call sign “Wagner” allegedly inspired the Russian private mercenary group’s name, died alongside Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash 28 August 2023,