2017. Russia. Blackwater's Erik Prince Offers Services to Putin's Wagner Group. (In Progress)
Russia Is A Terrorist State: Part 4 (2016 - 2019)
2017. Russia. Blackwater's Erik Prince Offers Services to Putin's Wagner Group. (In Progress)
"Erik Prince speaking at a Miller Center gathering on April 15, 2015" by Miller Center under CC BY 2.0
ABC News reported in 2011 that Blackwater Worldwide, a private security contractor in the United States that had been heavily involved in Iraq, had renamed itself as Academi. The company had undergone significant restructuring after controversies over the killing of Iraqi civilians in 2007. In an attempt to re-establish itself in Iraq, Academi hired a former United States ambassador to lead its new Iraq operations. The company had been banned from operating in Iraq and had faced investigations and lawsuits for its actions in the country. The article notes that some Iraqis were skeptical of Academi's rebranding efforts, and many were still angry about the deaths of civilians.
The Daily Beast in 2014 detailed allegations made in a lawsuit filed by former Blackwater employees against the company. The lawsuit claimed that the company had threatened to murder employees who tried to blow the whistle on illegal activity, including drug use, arms smuggling, and the murder of innocent civilians. The article also reports that the lawsuit alleges that Blackwater had been involved in a variety of illegal activities in Iraq, including stealing from the U.S. government, falsifying documents, and breaking arms embargoes.
The third article, from the U.S. Department of Justice in 2014, reports that four former Blackwater employees were found guilty of charges related to the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisur Square in Baghdad in 2007. The article notes that the incident had caused significant outrage and had led to a number of investigations into Blackwater's conduct in Iraq.
In 2017, The Washington Post reported that Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, had held a secret meeting in the Seychelles in January of that year with a Russian close to President Vladimir Putin. The article suggested that the meeting was part of an effort to establish a back channel between the incoming Trump administration and Russia. The article notes that Prince had denied that the meeting was related to the Trump campaign or transition team.
The New York Times reported in 2018 that a former Blackwater security contractor had been found guilty, for the second time, in connection with the shooting of Iraqi civilians in 2007. The article notes that the case had been highly controversial and had raised questions about the use of private contractors in war zones.
A 2019 Reuters article reported on discrepancies between Erik Prince's account of a meeting with a Russian banker and the findings of the Mueller investigation. Prince had told Congress that the meeting was not related to the Trump campaign or transition team, but the Mueller report suggested otherwise.
The Intercept reported in 2020 that Erik Prince had offered his military services to a Russian mercenary firm called Wagner, which was sanctioned by the United States. The report suggested that Prince had offered to provide mercenary services to Wagner, including the use of his company's surveillance aircraft and drone technology.
The Daily Beast also reported on Erik Prince's alleged ties to Wagner in 2020, suggesting that he had offered his services to the company in an attempt to circumvent U.S. sanctions. The article notes that Prince had previously faced controversy over his involvement with Blackwater and had been accused of war crimes.
Finally, in February 2022, the Independent reported that Erik Prince and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon had praised Russia for its anti-LGBT stance. The article notes that Prince had previously faced controversy over his ties to Russia and that he had been accused of trying to establish a back channel between the Trump administration and Russia.
Written with ChatGPT on April 30, 2023