Overview

Anatoly Alexandrovich Karaziy, former head of intelligence for the Wagner Group, now leads recruitment for the paramilitary formation Redut. Open sources indicate he operated primarily in Russia, with recruitment trips to Crimea.

Karaziy was born in Vladikavkaz, then known as Ordzhonikidze, the capital city of what is now Russia’s Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. According to Moscow Oblast land registration data, Karaziy served with military unit 92154, the 322nd Specialist Training Center. Investigative journalist Christo Grozev asserts that Karaziy was able to obtain the rank of lieutenant colonel. From 2006 to 2009, he founded several short-lived companies.

Karaziy joined the Wagner Group on September 25, 2015. Open sources list Karaziy’s position as head of intelligence in the company. His association with the Hells Angels motorcycle club likely provides an extensive intelligence network, spanning from Moscow through continental Europe to the United States.

In August 2021, Karaziy began recruiting for Redut, a position secured through Vladimir Alekseyev, deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU). Alekseyev, a key architect of Russia’s irregular warfare strategy, is potentially related to Karaziy. Karaziy scouted training grounds in Crimea, Tambov, and Volgograd. By January 2022, he had recruited thousands, including former Wagner members and trainees from the 16th GRU Special Forces Brigade near Tambov.

Karaziy’s activities have drawn international attention. He was sanctioned by the European Union on December 18, 2023, citing his role in Redut and its operations in Ukraine. Ukraine sanctioned him on February 26, 2023.