Who is Andrey Troshev, why Putin wants him to lead Wagner, and where is Prigozhin?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly proposed a leadership change within the Wagner Group, a private military company, suggesting that senior mercenary Andrey Troshev take full command immediately. 

This development appears to have caused a rift between Troshev and the group's current leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, following the failed uprising that occurred last month. 

Putin's comments were made during a meeting attended by Prigozhin and several high-ranking Wagner combatants, held five days after the rebellion's collapse at the end of June.

Andrey Troshev, known by his call sign "Sedoy" or "grey hair," is a retired Russian colonel and a founding member of the Wagner Group, as stated in sanctions documents published by the European Union and France. 

These documents reveal that Troshev served as the chief of staff for Wagner Group operations in Syria, where the group supported the Syrian regime. 

Born in April 1953 in Leningrad, Troshev played a crucial role in the military operations of the Wagner Group in Syria, particularly in the Deir ez-Zor area. Consequently, he actively contributed to Bashar al-Assad's war efforts and benefited from the Syrian regime, according to the EU sanctions.

Troshev's associations include Wagner Group founder Dimitriy Utkin, a former Russian GRU military intelligence officer, as well as commanders Aleksandr Sergeevich Kuznetsov and Andrey Bogatov. 

Moreover, Troshev has an extensive military background, having served in the special rapid response detachment of the Russian Interior Ministry's Northwestern Federal District.

 He is a veteran of both the Chechen and Afghan wars and has received numerous decorations and awards for his service, including Orders of the Red Star and Orders of Courage.

While Troshev's potential ascent to leadership within the Wagner Group is being discussed, the fate of current leader Yevgeny Prigozhin remains uncertain.

 It was initially reported that Prigozhin had travelled to Belarus following the failed uprising, as part of an agreement brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. 

However, Lukashenko recently stated in an interview with CNN that Prigozhin is now in Russia. Additionally, footage depicting a police raid on Prigozhin's premises in St. 

Petersburg has raised further questions about his status, as he has not been seen in public since June 2. The situation surrounding Prigozhin and the potential power shift within the Wagner Group continues to unfold.