Russia’s war in Ukraine has been complicated by a third party – the so-called Wagner Group, owned and led by a certain Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Ostensibly fighting on the Russian side, the mercenary group has entered and left the battlefield at key points. Meanwhile, Prigozhin has offered a running commentary on the war that has often been more scathing about Russia’s war effort, its military commanders and its social elite, than it has been about Ukraine. The result is widespread bafflement about Prigozhin and his motives. The behaviour of Prigozhin and Wagner have raised an even more fundamental question – are they working for Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, or are they working against him?
