Ratibor leads rebranded Wagner...or Wagner rebranding
360.ru, a media outlet run by the Moscow Oblast authorities, published a 40-minute interview with five former Wagner fighters who are now members of a group calling itself “Wagner Legion Istra” (Legion Vagnera Istra).
Undoubtedly the most famous person is the group’s commander, Aleksandr Kuznetsov (Ratibor) – probably the most highly regarded surviving Wagner commander. The other four are mentioned by 360.ru only by their call signs; however, Agenstvo identified them as:
- Ruslan Chlalyan (Radimir), a former deputy commander of Wagner’s 1st storm detachment and now Kuznetsov’s deputy, responsible for operations in Libya (described as the “far front”);
- Igor Sukhodolskiy (Marks — though I’m not sure if this is his actual call sign or just a nickname as the “brains” of the unit, i.e. their very own Karl Marx), former Wagner chief of staff and now performing the same role for Wagner Legion;
- Ruslan Zaprudskiy (Rusich), former commander of Wagner’s 13th Detachment, now overseeing Wagner operations in Ukraine (described as the “near front battalion”);
- Andrey Ivanov (Kep), former commander of Wagner’s 2nd storm detachment and now in charge of operations in Mali;
Agenstvo identified the five commanders as Ruslan Zaprudskiy (1), Andrey Ivanov (2), Aleksandr Kuznetsov (3), Igor Sukhodolskiy (4), and Ruslan Chlalyan (5).
The interview covers some of the by-now-well-known history of Wagner’s evolution (I thoroughly recommend Jack Margolin’s book if you want a comprehensive account of that); the different awards the men have received; Wagner’s Project K (its prison recruitment drive); and Prigozhin’s death (about which they say absolutely nothing interesting, except denying that a Council of Commanders meeting took place after it).
More interesting than the actual content, though, is the latest attempt at rebranding and leveraging the Wagner legacy that this interview represents. Given the publication outlet, i.e. a media outlet owned by the authorities, and Kuznetsov’s cachet in Wagner circles, Wagner Legion or Istra will be names we’ll be hearing lots more about (though probably not all together, because frankly it’s a little awkward). They have been used before today, but this elevates them to a new level.
A man sporting and Istra badge.
The video features someone wearing an “Istra” badge. Istra is a town in Moscow Oblast, which Kuznetsov says represents the “unique” opportunity the men were given to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defence. So what we might see is a variant of an existing pattern: the Istra or Wagner Legion label dominating in some places; African Corps used in others; and Wagner used by the media all over the place. And maybe some more promotion of Kuznetsov and his merry men to give the rebrand greater legitimacy in the eyes of former Wagner fighters.