Is he Wagner's "true commander"?, French media: Putin favors Russia | Wagner Group | French media
The website of the French newspaper "Le Figaro" recently published an article titled "Who is Andrei Trochev, the head of Wagner in Putin's favor?" written by Louis Valo. The article excerpt is as follows:
This is a person who may hold an important position. President Putin stated in an interview with the Russian newspaper Businessman on July 13th that he proposed to the Wagner Group fighters that Andrei Troshev take over the leadership position of the quasi military organization.
In this interview that pays special attention to the Wagner Group's aborted rebellion in June, the Russian head of state even stated that Troshev was already the "true commander" of the Wagner Group, even during the now defunct tenure of Yevgeny Prigo. "They can gather in the same place to continue serving. For them, nothing will change. They can be led by one person, who has always been their true commander," Putin said in detail.
This claim has yet to be confirmed, although the European Commission listed Troshev as one of the "executive directors" and "founding members" of the Wagner Group at the time in a 2021 document on implementing sanctions in the context of the Syrian conflict.
"When I made this suggestion, many soldiers nodded," Putin said in an interview, meaning that the mercenaries agreed with him, but "Prigoren sitting in front did not see this and said that his subordinates did not agree with the appointment.". In a photo taken in 2016, Troshev was with the President of Russia.
The blocked Wagner headquarters building captured on June 24th in St. Petersburg, Russia
Andrei Nikolayevich Troshev is his full name, and he was born in Leningrad in 1953. In addition to his relationship with the Wagner Group, European authorities also introduced him as a "retired colonel". The document also mentions his code name: "White Hair". The EU points out that Dmitry Utkin, a former official of the Russian Intelligence Agency and one of the founders of the Wagner Group, is one of his close partners.
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The reason why the European Union paid attention to him at that time was because of his presence in Syria. "He mainly participated in the operations in the Deir Zor region," explained the European Council. The Wagner Group is a supporter of the Syrian regime. He was also awarded the title of "Hero of the Russian Federation" for reclaiming Palmyra from the Islamic State organization.
Syria is not a place for Troshev to try new things. During the Afghanistan War, he served in the Soviet army and was awarded the Red Star twice. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, "White Hair" participated in the Chechen War and later served as the commander of the Rapid Response Special Forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to Russian sources, he is located in SOBR in St. Petersburg. He was also a member of another special forces unit of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the "Internal Guard". He retired from active service in 2012.
In 2017, the local media "Fontanka" reported that Trochev was found drunk on the street in St. Petersburg and was taken to the hospital. It is said that he had 5 million rubles and 5000 dollars in cash on him at that time. He had a close relationship with St. Petersburg from birth to serving in SOBR.
So, why does Putin want him to take over the Wagner Group now? According to the American media Newsweek, Troshev was ostracized by the Kremlin for reporting an upcoming rebellion. The non-governmental organization Gulagu.net stated that Troshev even refused to support this rebellion.
Igor Gilkin, former Minister of Defense of the Donetsk People's Republic, claimed in an interview with Russian media NSM that he had private relations with Troshev. "He has considerable combat experience, is not stupid, has strong execution ability, and does not have any special talents, but also does not have any special demands." He described Trochev as a "executor". Gilkin also confirmed that White Hair had indeed served as the Chief of Staff for all Wagner troops in the past.