Dmitry Utkin, a shadowy figure whose call sign “Wagner” allegedly inspired the Russian private mercenary group’s name, died alongside Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash on Wednesday.
Utkin, who served in the Russian military intelligence, is often cited as the founder of Wagner Group, but many analysts now say that rumour was simply a smokescreen for Prigozhin, who only recently acknowledged his leading role in the armed group.
So, who really was the 53-year-old veteran on board the doomed private jet that fell from the sky between Moscow and St Petersburg?
Here is what you need to know:
Born on June 11, 1970 in Asbest, a town nestled on the slopes of the Ural Mountains and named after its local Asbestos industry, Utkin appears to have joined the military at the age of 18.
He served in the Spetsnaz GRU, Russia’s military intelligence division, between 1988 and 2008, according to his online CV unearthed by the investigative website Bellingcat.
Original from www.aljazeera.com rnrn