The team of the Polish League Against Defamation has prepared the latest report on the so-called Wagner Group. In our study entitled 'The Wagner Group – Russian mercenaries during the war in Ukraine’, we present the detailed origins of the Wagner Group, which is well known – it is a mercenary company performing tasks for the Kremlin and Russian oligarchs, formally independent, de facto subordinate to the Kremlin and monitored by Russia’s special services. The Wagner Group secures broad Russian interests, including political-military but also business interests, around the world; it was involved in strictly combat operations in the Donbass in 2014-2015, in Syria, in Libya and in African countries.
For several years of its existence, the Wagner Group was shrouded in secrecy, its operations concealed, and its formally independent operations allowed the Kremlin to use its services at will, largely relying on informal contacts, outside the boundaries of the law, in unclear legal and financial circumstances, without legal accountability.
ChvK Wagner, or Chastnaya Voyennaya Kompaniya – Wagner’s private military company, founded in 2014 by Yevgeny Prigozhin and Lt Col Dimitri Utkin. The company simultaneously performed two types of missions: military as an informal military tool of the Kremlin and business as a mercenary group making profits for its owners. A turning point in the Wagner Group’s history occurred during the so-called special military operation in Ukraine, where the formation came out of the shadows, becoming a de facto component of the invasion force.
In the fighting in Ukraine, the Wagner Group was significantly expanded and enjoyed a great deal of independence. After the so-called Prigozhin revolt of 24 June 2023 and his forced departure, many questions were outlined as to the form of the company’s continued existence, which was likely to continue. At the same time, information about the Wagner Group’s redeployment to Belarus raises potentially new hybrid threats to the region, including, for example, the security architecture of Poland’s eastern border.
The report was supplemented by information on the circumstances surrounding the deaths of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and one of the main field commanders, Dmitry Utkin 'Wagner’, and the future of the Wagner Group.
We encourage you to read the report „Wagner Group – Russian mercenaries during the war in Ukraine”.
Our publication is available in PDF format (for reading on computer screens or for printing).
The analysis prepared by our team of specialists was produced because the Wagner Group is currently being discussed intensively in the media, which demonstrates its importance and impact on contemporary political events. Understanding the origins, structure and activities of this mercenary group will allow you to better understand the context in which it operates.
We hope that the Report, which also discusses the implications of the Wagner Group’s presence on regional and international security, will allow you to better identify the potential threats and challenges that arise from the group’s activities, including in the context of the death of the head of the Wagner Group.
To download the latest our Report, please click the button.
