While Russia’s notorious Wagner group is becoming a household name for carrying out the Kremlin’s “de-Nazification” mission in Ukraine, a new report claims that an actual neo-Nazi is calling the shots for the group behind the scenes, according to a new report.
Dmitry Utkin, a former special forces commander, is not only the group’s namesake—for his now infamous call-sign “Wagner”—but also a big fan of the Third Reich, according to an investigation by the Dossier Center.
As recently as last week, Utkin signed off on an order to make Vladlen Tatarsky, the pro-war military blogger killed in a bombing at Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s St. Petersburg cafe, an honorary member of the mercenary group.
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His signature appeared alongside that of Prigozhin and Andrei Troshev, the retired colonel who allegedly runs Wagner’s security service.
Internal documents reviewed by the Dossier Center reveal Utkin has a penchant for signing off on Wagner correspondence with the symbol for the SS Nazi military unit. He is also said to have written the phrase “Heil Petrovich!” in official correspondence to Prigozhin, using a purported nickname for the Wagner founder.
Prigozhin, in a furious comment to The Daily Beast, did not deny Utkin’s peculiar way of signing Wagner documents, or his apparent fondness for Nazism.
Instead, he said: “In order to defeat Nazism, you must try it on yourself. Dmitry Utkin is trying Nazism on for fuck’s sake.”
He then launched into a spectacular story about Utkin’s purported Nazi tattoos, hinting that the commander has a map of the Moscow Metro tattooed on his penis that will be visible in all its glory to anyone who “sucks” on it.
“So, if you want to check something, suck it.”
Sources close to Wagner cited by Dossier say Utkin used the nickname “Wagner” precisely for its reference to Adolf Hitler’s favorite composer, Richard Wagner. He was also reportedly known to discuss the path of a “true Aryan” and openly don clothing accessories that featured a swastika.
Utkin, who started out doing special ops for Russian military intelligence, is no rank-and-file soldier. The lieutenant-colonel previously worked for the private military group Moran Security Group, and commanded a squad in the Slavonic Corps in Syria.
In 2016, he was hosted by Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. Dmitry Peskov, when asked about Utkin’s presence alongside the Russian president at the time, stressed that he was a recipient of the Order of Courage, though he could reportedly not say for what Utkin had received the honor.
Ukrainian military intelligence previously identified Utkin as the real leader of Wagner, making all command decisions behind the scenes while Prigozhin serves as the public face of the group.
