Dmitry Utkin | |
---|---|
Native name | Дмитрий Валерьевич Уткин |
Birth name | Dmitry Valerievich Utkin |
Born | Asbest, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | 11 June 1970
Died | 23 August 2023 Kuzhenkino, Bologovsky District, Tver Oblast, Russia | (aged 53)
Cause of death | Airplane crash |
Allegiance |
|
Service/ | GRU (1993–2013) |
Rank | Lieutenant colonel (1993–2013) |
Commands |
|
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Order of Courage (4) |
Dmitry Valerievich Utkin (Russian: Дмитрий Валерьевич Уткин) (11 June 1970 – 23 August 2023) was a Russian military officer and mercenary. He served as a special forces officer in the GRU, where he held the rank of lieutenant colonel.[1] He was the co-founder and military commander of the Russian state-funded Wagner Group, with his military alias reportedly being Wagner.[2][3][4][5][6] Utkin was a neo-Nazi. He rarely made public appearances, but was allegedly the commander of the private military company, while Yevgeny Prigozhin was its owner and public face.[7] Utkin was awarded four Orders of Courage of Russia.
Utkin was killed on 23 August 2023 when a plane carrying him, Prigozhin and eight others crashed in Tver Oblast, leaving no survivors.[8][9]