Former Russian intelligence officer Dmitri Utkin, the co-founder of the Wagner Group, has emerged as a key figure while his relationship with Prigozhin has drawn attention, especially after the latter’s mutiny.
But who is Utkin?
Dmitry Utkin was born in the Siberian city of Asbest in 1970. He served as the commander of the 700th special detachment of the 2nd special brigade of the main directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU), stationed in Pechory, Pskov region, until 2013. He had even participated in both wars in Chechnya.
After his retirement, he joined the Slavonic Corps – mercenaries – fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the civil war in 2013, but returned to Moscow in October.
The foundation of Wagner
After his return he allegedly created his own mercenary group, known as Wagner. As a former Russian intelligence officer, Utkin brought his extensive military experience and leadership skills to his team.
She is said to have a passion for the history of the Third Reich, which is perhaps why her Wagner badge is associated with Richard Wagner, the Nazi party’s favorite composer.
Utkin and his “Wagner Team” as well as several veterans of the Slavonic Corps were seen both in Crimea in February 2014 and subsequently in the Donbass, where they fought for pro-Russian separatists during the Russian-Ukrainian War.
Relations with the Kremlin
In December 2016, Utkin was photographed with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Kremlin reception honoring those who had been awarded the Order of Courage and the Hero of the Russian Federation (in commemoration of Heroes of the Fatherland Day), along with Alexander Kuznetsov, Andrei Bogatov and Andrei Troshev.
Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president’s press secretary, admitted that Utkin was among the guests, but did not comment on his connection to the mercenaries.
Testimony about Utkin’s neo-Nazi background
According to members of the Wagner Group Utkin is said to be a Rodnover, a follower of the Slavic native faith. Utkin was accused by the Latvian website Meduza of sympathizing with Nazi Germany, while the British National World said he was a neo-Nazi, due to images that appeared in 2021.
The Times described the images as “a man believed to be Utkin, who can be seen with tattoos of lightning bolts and an eagle, symbols often associated with neo-Nazis,” on his neck and chest.
Complaints about human rights violations
Although until now Wagner has been indispensable to the Kremlin, however, previous tensions in the Prigozhin-Kremlin relationship have had the effect of curtailing the group’s activities.
Utkin has been at the center of this conflict, with Prigozhin accusing the Russian Defense Ministry of lying to President Vladimir Putin about the group’s activities.
The Wagner Group, including Utkin, has faced numerous allegations of human rights abuses and brutal tactics in conflicts such as Ukraine, Syria, Libya and other countries.
Reports of summary executions and violence against prisoners have raised international concerns. The group’s activities have prompted calls for it to be designated as a terrorist organization.
