His latest rant included a line about the "happy grandfather" bungling Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. It was posted on May 9, just as Vladimir Putin was presiding over the Victory Day parade on Red Square. Who was Yevgeny Prigozhin referring to and why has he himself spectacularly stepped out of the shadows of running a troll farm and a mercenary group to grab the spotlight?
The former Saint-Petersburg hot dog salesman has become so high-profile that he's now a magnet for Western sanctions. Never has the leader of the Wagner Group directly criticised the big boss, so it’s anyone’s guess if it’s not just a bit of court intrigue and theatrics.
The Wagner Group has undeniably raised its profile. It now has a long track record in Syria, Libya and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Wherever there are diamonds and gold there, White men speaking Russian seem to emerge.
Are these men guns for hire by the highest bidder, or paramilitaries who ultimately answer only to Putin? We follow the money and ask about the role of irregulars in times of war. With the noose of Western sanctions tightening, how crucial is the revenue stream provided by Wagner? Where do all those recruits from places like Russian prisons go next? And what does it mean for erupting conflicts like in Sudan, where there are gold mines and – unsurprisingly – Wagner mercenaries?
Produced by Charles Wente, Daphné Leprince-Ringuet and Imen Mellaz.
