Within the past several months, Russian mercenaries have reportedly poured into Libya and Mozambique (see Part One in EDM, January 21, 2020). Evidently, members of Putin’s inner circle may be involved in concealing the true casualty rates suffered by the Wagner Group abroad. The company AO Sogaz itself was established in 1993 as a branch insurance company of the Russian state-owned natural gas monopoly Gazprom. Between 2005 and 2018, AO Sogaz managed to acquire seven large Russian insurance companies (including Neftepolis, Transneft Insurance, Alrosa Insurance and VTB Insurance), effectively turning the firm into the leading player in the Russian insurance market. For now, it remains unclear whether AO Sogaz—acting via its network of hospitals and clinics—will emerge as the sole provider of medical treatment to Russian mercenaries harmed while carrying out missions abroad.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 28, 2020 22:52 UTC