Overview

Valery Chekalov (call sign “Rover”) was a key Wagner Group officer responsible for transport, ammunition supply, and other essential logistics. Chekalov died in an airplane crash alongside Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin on August 23, 2023.

Valery Chekalov was born on January 10, 1976, in Vladivostok. His childhood education spanned several locations in what was then the Soviet Union: school #18 in Navoi, Uzbekistan; school #9 in Zapolyarny, Murmansk region, Russia; and school #8 in Belebey, Bashkortostan. Chekalov received higher education in 1998 at the Gorky Higher Military School of Logistics, named after Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Bagramyan. He then served for 11 years in the Kamchatka Territory, first with the 311th Special Forces Detachment for Underwater Sabotage Forces and Means (military unit 59048) and later on the patrol ship Letuchiy. Upon leaving the military, Chekalov relocated to St. Petersburg, where he became one of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s closest associates.

Chekalov joined Wagner on May 31, 2016. He served as executive director for several of Prigozhin’s companies, including limited liability company (LLC) Kollektiv-Service and joint stock company (JSC) Neva, which acquired Evro Polis, a company serving as a corporate front for Wagner Group operations in Syria. In 2018, Evro Polis, under Chekalov’s leadership, was sanctioned by the United States and blacklisted by the European Union. In 2017, Chekalov established Kapital LLC in St. Petersburg. During the Damascus International Exhibition in September 2019, Kapital contracted with Syria’s Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources for hydrocarbon exploration, development, and production in central Syria. The company later received permission for coastal operations. In March 2021, Syria’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources ratified a contract granting Kapital exclusive rights to conduct geological exploration in the Mediterranean Sea off Tartus province.

Chekalov was a key decision-maker within the Wagner network, overseeing the paramilitary’s rear operations and administrative functions. He managed transport operations and expenses in Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, and Sudan. In 2023, Chekalov faced sanctions from both the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Ukrainian government.