- Vladimir Putin wants to replace Yevgeny Prigozhin as head of Wagner, per The Telegraph.
- His proposed successor is Andrei Troshev — a former artillery colonel who helped set up the group.
- Troshev was once taken to the hospital blind drunk carrying cash, military maps, and receipts for weapons, it said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has seemingly chosen a successor with a troubled past to replace Yevgeny Prigozhin as the head of the Wagner group, according to The Telegraph.
Putin said he wanted to appoint Andrei Troshev, a former Russian army artillery colonel who helped set up Wagner, as the replacement commander of the paramilitary group, following Prigozhin's shortlived mutiny last month.
Troshev's military prowess in Syria earned him the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, The Telegraph reported, with Troshev having led a Wagner attack against the Islamic State that resulted in the ancient town of Palmyra being freed.
But his service there was also marked by him swearing at Russian army commanders and demanding that his soldiers be given more artillery shells, the newspaper reported, citing Wagner-affiliated Telegram channels.
And a visit to a St Petersburg hospital in 2017 paints a picture of a potentially troubled character.
Troshev was admitted to the hospital blind drunk with some unusual items on him, per The Telegraph.
Doctors were surprised to find the comatose Troshev carrying five million rubles ($55,319), $5,000 in cash, military maps of Syria, plane tickets, and receipts for new weapons in his possession, the newspaper reported.
According to Russian media, which cited police reports, Troshev was so drunk that he was unable to introduce himself.
He was later reported to the police.
Though Troshev had a placid call sign — "Grey Hair" — The Telegraph reported that he played a part in particularly brutal military operations.
He was a veteran of the Soviet-Afghan war and Russia's wars in Chechnya, in which thousands of people were killed, according to the newspaper.
Troshev then worked for Omon, Russian riot police, which had the job of violently breaking up anti-government protests, The Telegraph reported.
He also helped direct Wagner's efforts in Bakhmut, Ukraine, in 2022, but played a more behind-the-scenes role, it said.