According to source ‘The Telegraph‘, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have selected a successor for Yevgeny Prigozhin, the former head of the Wagner group, who recently experienced a short-lived mutiny.
Putin intends to appoint Andrei Troshev, a former artillery colonel in the Russian army and one of the founders of Wagner, as the new commander of the paramilitary organization.
Troshev gained recognition for his military achievements in Syria and was honored with the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
Notably, he led a successful Wagner operation against the Islamic State, resulting in the liberation of the historic town of Palmyra.
However, Troshev’s service in Syria was not without controversy. It was reported by Wagner-affiliated Telegram channels that he frequently engaged in heated arguments with Russian army commanders, demanding additional artillery shells for his soldiers.
An incident that occurred in 2017 sheds further light on Troshev’s character. He was admitted to a hospital in St. Petersburg while heavily intoxicated and carrying several peculiar items.
Medical staff were surprised to discover that Troshev had five million rubles ($55,319) in cash, $5,000 in U.S. currency, military maps of Syria, plane tickets, and receipts for new weapons in his possession.
Due to his level of intoxication, he was unable to provide identification to the doctors. The incident was later reported to the police.
Despite Troshev’s calm call sign, “Grey Hair,” The report suggests that he was involved in particularly brutal military operations. He had previous experience as a veteran of the Soviet-Afghan war and Russia’s conflicts in Chechnya, which were marred by significant casualties.
In addition, Troshev worked for the Omon, the Russian riot police force responsible for forcefully suppressing anti-government protests.
His involvement with Wagner continued in a more covert capacity, including assisting in their operations in Bakhmut, Ukraine, in 2022.
As Putin’s chosen successor for the leadership of Wagner, Troshev’s troubled past raises questions about the group’s future direction and its potential impact on international conflicts.
