Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

The Wagner Group's Route to Infamy

The Wagner Group's Route to Infamy

Visitors wearing military camouflage stand at the entrance of the 'PMC Wagner Centre', associated with the founder of the Wagner private military group (PMC) Yevgeny Prigozhin, during the official opening of the office block on the National Unity Day, in Saint Petersburg, on November 4, 2022. (Photo by Olga MALTSEVA / AFP) (Photo by OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images)

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT:  The privately-owned Russian soldier-for-hire group known as the Wagner Group once operated in the shadows but in the past year, it has become an important part of Russia’s war machine in Ukraine. The group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is a trusted Kremlin ally but recent comments criticizing Russian defense ministry officials are raising questions about just how much influence the group and it's owner, actually wield.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has added to the notoriety and mystique of this private military company (PMC).  Recently, though, long-simmering tensions between Wagner and Russia’s mainline military have erupted into the open.  In an audio message published by his own press service, Prigozhin took Russian military officials to task for withholding weapons and ammunition that he says are desperately needed by Wagner forces on the battlefield.

Keep reading...Show less
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Related Articles

Hitting the Panic Button on Rare Earth Minerals

Hitting the Panic Button on Rare Earth Minerals

Rare Earth minerals might not be at the top of your panic list today but when it comes to U.S. national security, it’s an issue that has the [...] More

Amid Crisis, A Lesser-Told Story of US-Iran Similarities Holds Some Hope

OPINION — As experts studiously debate what the latest Israel-Iran fighting will lead to, including a possible Iranian collapse, one enduring but [...] More
What Would It Take to End the Regime in Iran?

What Would it Take to End the Regime in Iran?

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – As U.S. President Donald Trump demands Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and hints that Iran’s Supreme Leader could also be [...] More

Report for Wednesday, June 18, 2025

9:04 America/New York Wednesday, June 18 [...] More

Why Iran’s Nuclear Program Cannot Be Dismantled from the Air

OPINION — As Israel launches one of the most expansive covert-kinetic operations in recent memory against Iranian nuclear infrastructure, a critical [...] More

Israel’s Bid to End the Iranian Nuclear Threat

OPINION — In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched a series of airstrikes, codenamed Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iranian nuclear [...] More

Report for Tuesday, June 17, 2025

9:15 AM America/New York Tuesday, June 17 [...] More

Women Who Weaponized Words in World War II

BOOK REVIEW: Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women of the OSSBy Lisa Rogak / St. Martin’s PressReviewed by: Tammy Kupperman ThorpThe Reviewer [...] More

What’s Happening in L.A. May Not Stay in L.A.

OPINION / COLUMN -- “At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court [for the Northern District of California] must determine whether the President [...] More