SPECIAL REPORT – WAGNER GROUP: The Evolution of a Private Army

In an astonishing turn of events starNng 23 June 2023, the Wagner Group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin declared all-out war on the Russian state, leading a convoy of mercenaries to march straight toward Moscow. The muNny, which embarrassed Russian President Vladimir PuNn and caught the Russian military and security services completely off guard, developed at lightning speed and ended just as quickly, leading to widespread confusion and chaos. Ager storming through towns and ciNes in southern Russia, largely unopposed and in many cases welcomed by locals, Wagner troops announced a sudden return to their field camps, following a deal cut by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Under the terms of the deal, Prigozhin accepted exile in Belarus, leaving the future of Wagner very much in quesNon. This special report puts the Wagner Group into perspecNve and foreshadows the factors that will shape what happens next.