×
Chargement en cours

Russia’s private military force, explained

1 membre

Inside the Wagner Group’s playbook.

Subscribe and turn on notifications ? so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO

On January 10, 2023, the Ukrainian town of Soledar was reportedly captured. But it wasn’t captured by the Russian army under Vladimir Putin’s command. The announcement came from a relatively unknown man, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who said his troops now controlled the town. The troops are part of the Wagner Group, a private army that has become a prominent force alongside Russian troops in the war against Ukraine.

But they aren’t new. They've been secretly fighting for Russia around the world since 2014. In this video, we take a look at their playbook and examine the three main steps they use to spread Russian influence around the world in brutal ways. We also look at how they’ve transformed from a ghost army to a recognizable private military group with insignias and an online brand, changing the nature of this secret group and its role in the world.

Sources and further reading:

Candace Rondeaux’s detailed report about the Wagner Group can be found here:
https://www.newamerica.org/international-security/reports/decoding-wagner-group-analyzing-role-private-military-security-contractors-russian-proxy-warfare/

For a summary of Syria’s ongoing conflict, we recommed this brief overview by CFR:
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-syria

If you’d like to understand France’s role in Mali in more depth, check out this Q&A by CSIS:
https://www.csis.org/analysis/end-operation-barkhane-and-future-counterterrorism-mali

And to get a more detailed understanding of Wagner’s arrival in Mali, including additional satellite imagery, check out this CSIS investigation:
​​https://www.csis.org/analysis/tracking-arrival-russias-wagner-group-mali

For a more in-depth look at the mass grave linked to Wagner Groups in Mali, you can read and watch France 24’s coverage here:
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20220422-france-says-mercenaries-from-russia-s-wagner-group-staged-french-atrocity-in-mali

This UN report (in French) provides an overview of the human impact the conflict and the Wagner Group have had on civilians in Mali:
https://minusma.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/220530_notetrimestrielle_jan-mars2022_final.pdf

You can find the full transcript of the 2017 meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin and then-president of Sudan Omar Al-Bashar here:
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56163

This investigation by OCCPR reveals the links between Wagner’s gold mining ties and Sudanese military companies in detail:
https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/documents-reveal-wagners-golden-ties-to-sudanese-military-companies

To understand how the Wagner Group brands itself and shows up online and around the world, we checked Prigozhin’s telegram account here:
https://t.me/concordgroup_official/254

And Reverse Side of the Medal, the Wagner Group’s unofficial telegram account:
https://tlgrm.ru/channels/@rsotmdivision

Make sure you never miss behind-the-scenes content in the Vox Video newsletter, sign up here: http://vox.com/video-newsletter

Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com

Support Vox's reporting with a one-time or recurring contribution: http://vox.com/contribute-now

Shop the Vox merch store: http://vox.com/store

Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE

Follow Vox on Facebook: http://facebook.com/vox
Follow Vox on Twitter: http://twitter.com/voxdotcom
Follow Vox on TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@voxdotcom

Prochain épisode
S01E1490 - How these buildings made Turkey-Syria’s earthquake so deadly
Voir l'épisode

Épisodes (1595)

Saison 1

Séries similaires (10)

Explained
Explained
Les évadés du bureau
Les évadés du bureau
Vsauce
Vsauce
Psych2Go
Psych2Go
100 amis
100 amis
Darren fait une dépression, la websérie londonienne
Darren fait une dépression, la websérie…
Sans gêne
Sans gêne
Ça rime à rien
Ça rime à rien
Deux Italiens à Paris
Deux Italiens à Paris
Sexe opposé
Sexe opposé