KGB ‘Godfather’ could fill void of Wagner leader following Prigozhin’s death

Following the death of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, a new mercenary force has been tipped to fill the void.

The leaderless group, left reeling from the death of Prigozhin on August 23, is now seeking out a new commander as they warn Vladimir Putin of "revenge".

But the group could find themselves controlled by a Russian figurehead as seven candidates are thrown to the group as security "firms" fight for ownership of the group.

READ MORE: Vladimir Putin blasts West for 'complete lie' about Wagner plane crash

One group hoping to step into the gap is Redut founder Gennady Timchenko, who is so far tipped as the likely next leader for the militia.

Business assets and Wagner missions would be handled by Redut, which is in turn controlled by the Russian intelligence service as a way to manage Kremlin officials and top army brass.

Redut's founding was claimed to be used in the protection of factories, with Timchenko's ties to Putin as a former KGB agent seeing him take up the reigns of the company.

Timchenko was allegedly proposed for the position by the Russian military and described as the "godfather" for the project, the New York Post reported.

Redut missions saw two teams of 55 and 65 men respectively dropped into Syria before the war in Ukraine, by which point the Russian government had set its sights on other militias to reduce reliance on Wagner.

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Former Wagner intelligence head Anatoly Karazii was poached by Redut and installed as their head of PMC, and has been recruiting leaders from his former militia ever since.

The highest-ranking Wagner commander, Andrei Troshev, has allegedly taken a job with Redut already, although they are not the only firm hoping to take over.

Convoy, another firm which took its name from the Cossack guards which once defended the Tsars of Russia, is also vying for the position as new Wagner leader.

The group was seen on Telegram advertising for roles in Africa, where Wagner group had been conducting its most recent missions.

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