Overview

Vladimir Titov, known by the call sign Mekhan, was a Wagner Group commander who gained public attention for his role in the battles for Bakhmut. He was known for appearing in media with his face covered, for example, while leading his group from the asphalt factory to the west of the city in cooperation with Wagner commander Alexander Kuznetsov (call sign “Ratibor”).

Titov was born on December 17, 1970, in Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad region of Russia, in what was then the Soviet Union. His private life remains largely unknown. Internal Wagner documents suggested he lived in the city of Kaliningrad, which was later confirmed when researchers contacted him in late 2023. Titov gained significant combat experience during the Second Chechen War, serving in the naval infantry. During his military career, he was awarded four Orders of Courage, the Hero of the Russian Federation medal, and the Medal of Honor.

While internal documents indicated that Titov joined Wagner on May 15, 2015, this date may be questionable. Some social media posts suggest he was involved with the group as early as 2014, possibly indicating his participation in operations in Donbas at that time. Titov himself referred to his earlier involvement in an interview in Bakhmut, comparing the combat training and resources of Ukrainian forces in 2023 to those in 2014. He was one of 25 Wagner tank officers involved in operations in the Deir ez-Zor theater in Syria. An internal 2021 document listed Titov as the commander of the Wagner Group’s tank company, which at the time was listed as deployed to Libya.

Following the capture of Bakhmut, open sources indicated that Titov worked closely with the Russian Armed Forces, appearing in an interview with Mikhail Mizintsev, a former Russian deputy minister of defense for logistics support. As of November 2023, Titov was not subject to international sanctions, with the exception of Ukraine, which imposed sanctions on him on February 26, 2023.