18 Facts About Dmitry Utkin

Dmitry Valerievich Utkin was a Russian military officer and mercenary.

Dmitry Utkin served as a special forces officer in the GRU, where he held the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Dmitry Utkin was the co-founder and military commander of the Russian state-funded Wagner Group, with his military alias reportedly being Wagner.

Dmitry Utkin rarely made public appearances, but was allegedly the commander of the private military company, while Yevgeny Prigozhin was its owner and public face.

Dmitry Valerievich Utkin was born on 11 June 1970 in Asbest, a village in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, Soviet Union.

Dmitry Utkin was described by classmates as very studious, but arrogant.

Dmitry Utkin reportedly used call sign Wagner after German composer Richard Wagner, because his work was greatly admired by Adolf Hitler and was appropriated by the Nazis.

Dmitry Utkin served as the commander of the 700th Separate Special Detachment of the 2nd Separate Special Brigade of the Russian GRU military intelligence service, stationed in Pechory, Pskov Oblast, until 2013.

Dmitry Utkin was deployed in Syria as a member of the Slavonic Corps, surviving its disastrous mission.

Almost immediately after returning to Russia, Dmitry Utkin reportedly created his own mercenary group.

The group's name, the Wagner Group, is a reference to the call-sign Dmitry Utkin was using at the time, "Wagner", which is itself a reference to German composer Richard Wagner.

Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak reported that Dmitry Utkin was possibly a figurehead for the company, while the real head of Wagner was someone else.

Dmitry Utkin was seen in the Kremlin during the celebration of Fatherland's Heroes Day on 9 December 2016.

Dmitry Utkin attended the celebration as a laureate of four Orders of Courage, and was photographed with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.

Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary for the Russian President, admitted that Utkin was among the invitees, but did not comment on his connection with the mercenaries.

In June 2017, Dmitry Utkin ordered that a Syrian deserter be tortured and bludgeoned to death on camera.

Dmitry Utkin was sanctioned by the governments of New Zealand and the United Kingdom in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Dmitry Utkin died in a plane crash on 23 August 2023 which killed nine other people, including Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.