Why I don’t take the Ukronazi stuff seriously — look at who the Russians have on their side.
[IsraelTimes] Right-hand man of boss Yevgeny Prigozhin served in Russian military during Chechen wars, led mercenary group’s military operations since about 2014.A rare photo of the Wagner group’s military commander shows a man with a shaved head, a cold stare and the Nazi SS symbol tattooed on both sides of his neck.
Dmitry Utkin, a veteran of Russia’s military intelligence division, the GRU, was reportedly beside Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on the plane that crashed on Wednesday north of Moscow, killing all on board.
Little is known publicly of this former army officer, who Russian media — including state-run outlets — were calling the Wagner "commander" as far back as 2015-2016.
At that time, the Kremlin was denying links to the mercenary group, which was already operating in Ukraine and Syria, where Russian forces were shoring up dictator Bashir al-Assad.
Then, in December 2016, Utkin was pictured alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...at a Kremlin reception for Russian "heroes" fighting in the Syrian civil war.
At around about the same time, Utkin’s ex-wife, Elena Shcherbinina, gave an interview to Russian state-owned news site Gazeta.ru, saying she was unable to reach him.
She said Utkin was born in 1970 and served in the Russian army in the Chechen wars.
He left the army in 2012 and set up a private security company, according to the dossier.center website founded by anti-Kremlin oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Shcherbinina told Gazeta.ru her former husband had found leaving active combat difficult.
"It was very hard for him to adapt. It bothered him a lot not to be fighting. He wanted a military career as a combat officer, not to wear out the seats of his pants sitting in some HQ somewhere."
WAGNER’S MURKY ORIGINS
It is unclear how Utkin met Prigozhin and how what would become the Wagner group was founded around 2014.
But the mercenary outfit was given Utkin’s call sign — Wagner.
Adolf Hitler
...late Fuehrer of Germany, founder of the Third Reich, currently communing with his pals Himmler and Heydrich. He is reincarnated every few days as a politician somebody doesn't like...
was a huge fan of German composer Richard Wagner and many observers see this nom de guerre as another indication of Utkin’s Nazi sympathies.
Several Wagner mercenaries have insignia and tattoos inspired by the Third Reich.