June 26, 2023

Wagner Group Still Allowed


Wagner Group Still Allowed
Andrey Kartapolov, Chair of the State Duma Defense Committee. Anton Gerashchenko, Twitter.

The Chairman of the State Duma's Defense Committee, Andrey Kartaplonov, announced that, after Yevgeny Prigozhin's uprising on June 23 and 24, the legislature plans to regulate the Wagner Group. Yet, Kartaplonov dismissed the possibility of outlawing the group that President Vladimir Putin called "traitors."

Before the mercenary group's mutiny, Russian legislation explicitly forbade private military groups. Yet despite having the power to prosecute Wagner, the Kremlin ignored its own laws, likely due to Wagner's influence in Africa and its decisive role in the war in Ukraine, though Wagner's withdrawal from Bakhmut was a hard blow.

In an interview with Vedemosti, Kartaplonov, a deputy for United Russia, said Wagner soldiers "didn't do anything reprehensible" in Rostov-on-Don since "they [just] followed orders from their commanders." Kartaplanov acknowledged that Wagner forces remain the most "combat-ready forces in Russia." According to the legislator, even the armed forces recognize this fact. 

Prigozhin's arrival in Belarus has yet to be confirmed. His whereabouts are unknown as of the date of this article.

You Might Also Like

Hired Guns
  • September 01, 2018

Hired Guns

The deaths in July under mysterious circumstances of three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic (CAR) has refocused attention on Russian mercenaries in foreign lands.
Prigozhin's Uprising
  • June 24, 2023

Prigozhin's Uprising

Russia's home-grown mercenaries have taken over Rostov-on-Don and threaten to march on the capital.
The Wizard and His Little Wagners
  • March 09, 2023

The Wizard and His Little Wagners

The Wagner Group's new youth club sponsors pro-militaristic activities and suggests it undertakes recruitment by hypnosis.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955