What is the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary corps in Ukraine (and how it works)

The Wagner mercenary group presented a clear challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

Led by its boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, this private army entered Russia from its base camp in the Ukraine, captured the military installations in the city of Rostov-on-Don, in the southwest of the country, and advanced towards Moscow, where it was captured . 200 km from the Russian capital.

Prigozhin’s actions woke up the anger of President Putinwho called the group’s moves “a stab in the back” and promised to punish those who had “betrayed” Russia.

Prigozhin said his goal was not “a military coup but a justice march” which he decided to undertake after the exchange of accusations with the Russian military leaders will increase dramatically.

Hours later, after mediation by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of the Wagner group announced the withdrawal of his troops and the Kremlin said it was dropping charges against him.

What exactly is the Wagner Group and how many mercenaries does it have?

The Wagner Group is one private army of mercenaries who fought alongside the Russian regular army in the Ukraine. There are estimated to be tens of thousands of Wagner troops.

They played an important role in the long and costly battle to take the city of Bakhmut from the Ukrainian forces.

The group describes itself as a “private military company”but the Russian government has recently taken steps that were seen as an attempt to control it.

And on June 23, Prigozhin claimed that Russia’s justification for its war in Ukraine was a lie and just an excuse for Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to promote himself.

The Wagner Group (officially called PMC Wagner) was first identified in 2014when he supported pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.

At that time it was a secret organization, who was mainly active in Africa and the Middle Eastand is believed to have numbered only about 5,000 fighters, mostly veterans of Russia’s elite regiments and special forces.

Since then it has grown considerably.

“That’s almost certain Wagner now commands 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and it has become an important part of the invasion,” the British Ministry of Defense said in January.

And he added that the organization started recruiting large numbers of mercenaries in 2022 because Russia had difficulty recruiting men for the regular army.

However, the number of soldiers called up by Prigozhin on Friday was close 25,000as about 20,000 died during the conflict in Ukraine.

In comparison, it is estimated that the The Russian army has about 800,000 active soldiers. This force is estimated to have once numbered over a million soldiers, but is believed to have lost about 220,000 during the war. It is believed that Russia has others 250,000 soldiers in reserve.

Around the 80% of the troops of Wagner in Ukraine have come out of prisonsaid the US National Security Council earlier this year.

Although mercenaries are illegal in Russia, the Wagner Group registered as a company in 2022 and opened a new headquarters in St. Petersburg.

“You openly recruit in Russian citieson billboards, and the Russian media label it a ‘patriotic organization’,” says Samuel Ramani of the Royal United Services Institute think tank.

What does the Wagner Group do in Ukraine?

The Wagner Group was heavily involved in the Russian conquest of the city bakhmutin eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian troops say Wagner’s soldiers were sent to attack en masse in the open field, and many were killed as a result.

How did the Wagner Group come about?

Initially, the Russian Ministry of Defense did not mention that the Wagner Group was involved in the fighting.

However, he later praised his mercenaries for playing a “brave and selfless” role.

A BBC investigation into the Wagner Group revealed the alleged involvement of a Former Russian army officer Dmitri Utkin.

Veteran of Russia’s wars in Chechnya, believed to have been the first field commander by Wagner and who named the group after the former distinctive radio call.

“Putin’s Cook”

The current boss is Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy businessman nicknamed “Putin’s Chef” because his companies catered for the Kremlin before he came to head the Wagner Group.

“The first operation of the Wagner Group was Helping Russia annex Crimea in 2014″ said Tracey German, professor of conflict and security at King’s College London.

It is believed that Wagner performed in the weeks leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine false flag attacks to give the Kremlin a pretext to invade.

What is Wagner’s standoff with Russia’s military commanders?

In recent months, Prigozhin has repeatedly accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian Army Chief Valery Gerasimov of incompetence and deliberately supplying Wagner units fighting in the Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry recently said that “volunteer formations” in Ukraine should sign direct contracts with it.

A measure that is considered a government is trying to get more control over itHe.

Prigozhin issued an angry statement stating that his troops would boycott the contracts.

Where else is the Wagner Group active?

Wagner Group mercenaries have been in Syria since 2015, fighting alongside pro-government forces and protecting oil fields.

There are also mercenaries Wagner group in Libyasupport forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar.

The Central African Republic (CAR) has invited Wagner to protect the diamond mines, and is also believed to defend gold mines in Sudan.

All these countries have a common element, they are places where Moscow has interests.

Experts say his mercenaries could be hired for deployment in war zones or more specific actions such as providing security or carrying out targeted attacks.

How does the group work?

Videos circulating mainly in Russia and various reports from investigative teams explain that the brutality to which the methods they use can reach his mercenaries.

As shown in a home video, the members can torture and even behead their victim for hours.

Russian media and analyst surveys have described participants in the group’s actions as ultra-nationalists extreme right with brutal methods.

Paul Stronski, director of the Carnegie Fund for International Peace’s Russia and Eurasia Program, told BBC Mundo that these groups “act as force multipliers, arms dealers, military trainers and local security personnel.”

The expert indicates that although the Wagner Group is not the only private military company from Russia with these characteristics, it is the best known.

And find records of him model in the Balkan war at the end of the last century and even in the Russian volunteers who fought in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.

Add that military deployment capacity fluctuates hundreds to thousands in combat zones.

The researcher indicates that Russia has a great deal of experience in using these groups in recent decades.