The Russian paramilitary group Wagner Group has opened its first headquarters in Saint Petersburg, Russia, according to Agence France-Presse.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the company accused of sending mercenaries to several countries in Latin America, Africa and Ukraine, announced the opening of the office on the Day of National Unity, which fell on Friday, in a statement published on the website of his company Concorde.
Prigozhin is called "Putin's cook", because he owns and runs the company "Concord", which has been organizing receptions in the Kremlin, and has been subject to US sanctions since December 2016.
Due to his influence with the Kremlin, this man has become a billionaire, and his companies are harvesting all contracts of the Ministry of Defense in the sectors of nutrition and services, and with Russia launching its first war on Ukraine in 2014 and then on Syria, he turned into a military contractor.
The building, consisting of several floors, was opened with a glass facade and a large white sign that read "Wagner".
"The mission of the Wagner Center is to provide a comfortable environment for the generation of new ideas in order to improve Russia's defense capability," Prigozhin said in his statement.
The Wagner Group is the most famous Russian security company, similar to the American company Blackwater. Hundreds of Russian mercenaries work under its banner, and it is responsible - according to press reports - carrying out what is described as dirty operations in various conflict areas.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the mercenary company was founded in 2014 by former Russian Army Brigadier General Dmitry Utkin, who is under US sanctions for his role in the war on Ukraine, where he fought in eastern Ukraine alongside separatist rebels.
Just as Utkin fought, many of Wagner's fighters first fought in eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed militias have been leading a separatist movement against Ukrainian forces since 2014.
It became more prominent in Syria, and grabbed the limelight more after a number of them were killed during an American raid in Syria in early February 2018.
The Wagner Company's name was inspired by Richard Wagner, Adolf Hitler's favorite opera composer.
According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, Russia is now unabashedly imposing its strategy of influence in Africa, targeting Mali after Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic and Sudan, in addition to its participation in the war on Ukraine.