Valery Chekalov | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Валерий Евгеньевич Чекалов |
| Birth name | Valery Yevgenyevich Chekalov |
| Born | 10 January 1976 Vladivostok, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 23 August 2023 (aged 47) Kuzhenkino, Tver Oblast, Russia |
| Cause of death | Plane crash |
| Buried | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Valery Yevgenyevich Chekalov (Russian: Валерий Евгеньевич Чекалов; 10 January 1976 – 23 August 2023) was a Russian mercenary leader, head of logistics of the Wagner private military company, and a close confidant of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Chekalov was Wagner's "logistics mastermind" and controlled several Prigozhin-linked front companies that coordinated Wagner Group activities in Libya and Syria, including managing mercenaries, securing weapons, and running Wagner's business operations in Syria and Africa. For his activities on Prigozhin's behalf, the United States sanctioned Chekalov in July 2023.
Chekalov was killed on 23 August 2023 in a plane crash in Tver Oblast, alongside Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin.