Troshev "Silver Hair" is said to be one of the founding members of Wagner, preferring to demonstrate his abilities through action and rarely appearing in public.
According to an interview with Kommersant newspaper on July 14, five days after the Wagner military group's rebellion was suppressed, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin and senior commanders of this force.
During the three-hour meeting, Putin proposed that Wagner continue to serve in Russia and that Wagner soldiers would operate under a commander nicknamed "Silver Hair". However, Prigozhin rejected this proposal.
Andrey Troshev attends a reception at the Kremlin in December 2016. Photo: Reuters
According to sanctions announced by the European Union (EU) and France, the commander of "Silver Hair" is named Andrey Troshev, a former Russian army colonel and founding member and CEO of Wagner. Pro-Wagner Telegram channels have also repeatedly said that Troshev is nicknamed "Silver Hair" and introduced him as one of Wagner's most senior commanders.
EU documents say he was born in April 1953 in Leningrad, but Reuters, citing Russian sources, said he was born in 1962.
According to the EU, Troshev was chief of staff of Wagner's operations in Syria, supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
"Andrey Troshev was directly involved in Wagner's military operations in Syria, especially in the Deir ez-Zor area," the document reads. "Troshev contributed to the war effort of President Bashar al-Assad, thereby benefiting from the Syrian regime."
One of his associates was Dimitriy Utkin, a founding member of Wagner and former officer of the Russian Military Intelligence Service (GRU). Troshev also had close links with other Wagner commanders Aleksandr Sergeevich Kuznetsov and Andrey Bogatov.
Before running Wagner, Troshev fought in the Soviet campaign in Afghanistan in the 1980s and the wars in Chechnya in the 1990s and 2000s.
For his service in Afghanistan, Troshev was awarded two Orders of the Red Star, Russia's award for military servicemen of great merit. For his service in Chechnya, Troshev was also awarded two Orders of Courage and the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 2nd class.
Troshev was among the guests invited to a reception at the Kremlin in December 2016. A photo, apparently from that year's reception, published in Russian media in 2017, shows President Putin with Troshev and Utkin, both wearing numerous medals.
President Putin (center) and Andrey Troshev (second from left) with Dmitry Utkin (far right) in a photo released in 2017. Photo: Telegram
In addition to his role as Wagner's executive director, according to Russian opposition website Verstka, Troshev is also the head of the group's "internal security agency," which deals with punishments.
According to the news site, like tycoon Prigozhin, Troshev also has no sympathy for Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian military officials, complaining that Wagner did not receive enough ammunition.
After Wagner was deployed to Ukraine in 2022, Troshev helped direct the offensive against the eastern city of Bakhmut, but he rarely appeared in public. Telegram channels linked to Wagner refer to Troshev primarily as the chairman of the “Union for the Protection of the Interests of Veterans of Local War and Military Conflict.” Ukraine imposed sanctions on Troshev on February 26.
According to these channels, Troshev's leadership style and tactics helped Wagner win and impress President Putin.
On July 3, a pro-Wagner Telegram channel posted an announcement that Troshev had been fired by Wagner from his position as chairman of the "Union for the Protection of the Interests of Veterans of Local Wars and Military Conflicts", a few days after Wagner's rebellion.
Several Russian military bloggers shared documents suggesting that Troshev may have been the one who informed senior Russian leaders in advance about Wagner's plans for a rebellion.
The WSJ on June 28 quoted Western intelligence officials as saying that Yevgeny Prigozhin had planned to try to capture Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov when they visited southern Russia. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) discovered the plot two days before it was scheduled to be carried out, and General Shoigu and General Gerasimov then changed their plans.
General Viktor Zolotov, commander of the Russian National Guard, confirmed that the authorities knew about Prigozhin's intentions before he carried out the plot. "Information about preparations for a rebellion that would begin between June 22 and 25 leaked from Prigozhin's barracks," Zolotov said.
In an interview with Kommersant, Mr Putin said that if his proposal was accepted, Wagner fighters could continue to serve “without any changes” because “they would be led by the person who has been their real commander all this time”.
The Russian president noted that many Wagner members at the meeting nodded when they heard the proposal, but Prigozhin refused, saying: "The guys will not agree to such a decision."
"Prigozhin sat in front of them and did not see them nod," Putin added.
Vu Hoang (According to Telegraph, CNN, Reuters, Newsweek )
Source link
Comment (0)