The Wagner Group’s Asian Procurement Networks

This report explores the acquisition networks established by the Wagner Group to obtain weapons from China and North Korea, as well as access to satellite capabilities for the war in Ukraine. Similar to the proliferation networks created by countries like Iran, the Wagner Group uses the network of companies belonging to Yevgeny Prigozhin's Concord Group to acquire weapons and technologies.

This demonstrates Russia's growing isolation, forcing it to turn to an actor like North Korea for equipment, and also highlights its technological lag, particularly in satellite technology.

The Wagner Group is, a priori, the first organization classified as a terrorist organization to have acquired two satellites. The report also highlights the involvement of the Chinese and North Korean military-industrial complex in supplying weapons and satellites to the Wagner Group. The companies supplying the weapons and satellite capabilities are either wholly state-owned or linked to China's military-industrial complex.

The report raises the question of access to advanced technological capabilities, such as satellites, and their use in the Wagner Group's march on Moscow and the Kremlin. Since the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, there has been no information on who controls the satellites or how they are being used.

The proliferation of independent paramilitary groups, as well as those affiliated with companies or former company executives, opens up opportunities for Russia to create multiple acquisition channels to circumvent sanctions and acquire strategic technologies for use in the war effort.

Download the report here (in French)