Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ The military commander of the Wagner Group, Anton "Lotus" Elizarov, is reported to have been fired. The move is said to be the result of interpersonal conflicts and Wagner's disastrous defeats in Africa in 2024. A former GRU major is slated to replace him. ⬇️

2/ The Russian warblogger Anastasia Kashevarova writes that Elizarov left the Wagner Group before the New Year at the instigation of Yevgeny Prigozhin's son and heir Pavel, who took over Wagner following his father's death in August 2023.

3/ Kashevarova presents a number of reasons for Elizarov's dismissal:

"1. When the brigade commander was chosen, not all commanders were present at the Council.

4/ "2. While the main staff of the PMC were busy with work and stunned by the death of the leadership, Lotus flew to Russia on board the Ministry of Defence (this is a separate story) to be the first to be near Prigozhin Jr.

5/ "3. After Lotus became the head of the PMC Wagner, the entire main commanding staff left the company along with their fighters.

6/ 4. The attempt of the PMC ‘Wagner’ to join under the banners of the Rosgvardia [Russian National Guard] failed, again because, as they say in ‘Wagner’ and confirmed by sources in the Rosgvardia,…

7/ …that Lotus demanded unrealistic staffing and set impossible conditions for the state. And state agencies did not want to do business with him.

8/ 5. The commanders of "Wagner" – Ratibor, Kep, Cheptsa, Marks, Rusich and others created the "Wagner Legion" – an organization in which are all the old-timers and the main backbone of "Wagner"

8/ 6. The situation in Mali, when due to an incompetent approach, Wagner fighters died. Those who were captured have not yet been rescued.

https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1817282576395997628

9/ These are only some of the facts. But this already sufficiently characterises Lotus himself and the attitude of other commanders who immediately left the company because they did not want to work under his leadership for objective reasons."

10/ Lenta reports that command of Wagner may pass to the commander of the group's 5th assault detachment, a man named Dmitry Podolsky (callsign "Salem"). His appointment is said by a source to be "already certain".

11/ Podolsky is reported to be a former GRU special forces officer who was awarded the title Hero of Russia, five Orders of Courage, and two medals "For Bravery". He is said to have fought with Russian forces in Syria, before resigning with the rank of major in 2017.

12/ He fought at Bakhmut as a commander in the Wagner Group in 2023 but was seriously wounded, losing his right arm. After recovering from his injuries, in 2024 he was appointed as security adviser to the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadera. /end

Sources:
🔹 t.me/akashevarova/7…
🔹 t.me/Abbasdjuma/190…
🔹 lenta.ru/news/2025/01/0…
🔹 cyclowiki.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0…
🔹 mk.ru/politics/2023/…
🔹руни.рф/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D…