The head of Russian intelligence, Major General Andrey Averyanov, is rumored to be poised to take over the leadership of the Wagner Group following the death of Evgeniy Prigozhin in a plane crash. He was seen last month at the Russia-Africa summit where he introduced himself to African leaders.
According to the British generalist newspaper Inew, Major General Andrey Averyanov will replace Evgeny Prigozhin in Russian operations in Africa. The media outlet reported that sources on Telegram claimed this decision was part of a Kremlin plan to diminish Prigozhin’s influence in Africa and replace it with a private company controlled by the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GRU) of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, led by Major General Andrey Averyanov.
Major General Andrey Averyanov is the head of the secretive operations unit (Unit 29155) of the GRU and has previously been involved in assassinations and attacks abroad on behalf of Putin. Unit 29155 of the GRU, which carries out operations on foreign soil on Putin’s orders, has been linked to numerous assassinations and interference campaigns abroad. This includes the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in 2018.
Major General Averyanov was seen introducing himself to African leaders in St. Petersburg during last month’s Russia-Africa summit, leading to the idea that the Russian intelligence chief has been prepared by Vladimir Putin to take over Wagner’s activities on the continent after the death of its leader Evgeny Prigozhin.
