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A man wearing a camouflage uniform walks out of PMC Wagner Centre
Image: Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo/picture allianceImage: Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo/picture alliance

Wagner Group

The Wagner Group is a private Russian mercenary unit fighting in Ukraine and elsewhere. Its former leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was presumed dead after a 2023 plane crash. Since 2024, it is also known as Africa Corps.

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All Content on this topic

DW Still | Russisch Orthodoxe Kirche in der Zentralafrikanische Republik

Russian influence proliferates in Central African Republic

Russia’s influence is burgeoning in the Central African Republic, and beyond.
SocietyJuly 27, 202303:03 min
A man on a motorbike waves a Russian flag in the streets of Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso

Fact check: Russia's influence on Africa

Russia uses various tools to increase its influence in Africa. DW's fact check looks at some of the narratives.
PoliticsJuly 27, 2023
Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin

What to make of the Wagner Group's threats against Poland

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Wagner mercenaries are planning an "excursion" westward.
ConflictsJuly 26, 2023
Vladimir Putin and Cyril Ramaphosa sitting next to each other

Where do Russia's ties with Africa stand?

Russia is doubling down on its efforts to strengthen ties with countries in Africa.
PoliticsJuly 25, 2023
A fighter from Russian Wagner mercenary group conducts training for Belarusian soldiers on a range near the town of Osipovichi, Belarus

Wagner fighters training troops in Belarus?

Belarus has released video purporting to show Wagner fighters training Belarusian troops.
ConflictsJuly 15, 202303:57 min
Wagner group soldier stands in front of rubble

Russia: From convict to hero via Ukraine?

In Russia, former prisoners are returning home after being freed to fight in Ukraine. Their victims are living in fear.
PoliticsJuly 15, 2023
Yevgeny Prigozhin

Prigozhin's troll factories in Russia: What's next?

Reports that Wagner's Prigozhin has shut down his media group don't mean the end of online trolls in Russia.
MediaJuly 13, 2023
Yevgeny Prigozhin (left) and Vladimir Putin in 2010

Did Putin crony Prigozhin bite the hand that feeds him?

Are there more surprises coming in Russia from the so-called rebellion? DW asks a prominent Russian political scientist.
PoliticsJuly 12, 202326:06 min
Yevgeny Prigozhin (left) and Vladimir Putin in 2010

Did Putin crony Prigozhin bite the hand that feeds him?

Are there more surprises coming in Russia from the so-called rebellion? DW asks a prominent Russian political scientist.
ConflictsJuly 12, 202327:17 min
Kombo Prigohzin Putin

Kremlin says Putin met Prigozhin after mutiny

Wagner commanders are said to have been offered "alternative options for employment."
PoliticsJuly 10, 2023
Yevgeny Prigozhin with two fighters

Mystery surrounds whereabouts of Wagner boss Prigozhin

Russia? Belarus? Where has the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin disappeared to?
ConflictsJuly 6, 202301:57 min
To the Point TTP ENG

Wagner in Belarus: a threat to Ukraine and NATO?

What role does the Belarusian dictator Lukashenko play?
ConflictsJuly 6, 202326:06 min
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, looks out from a military vehicle

Prigozhin: Wagner chief not in Belarus, Lukashenko says

Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was supposed to be in exile in Belarus after an aborted mutiny in Russia.
PoliticsJuly 6, 2023
Ivorian soldiers of the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA

Mali's MINUSMA peacekeeping mission: A foreseeable disaster

The UN Security Council has decided to withdraw all MINUSMA peacekeepers from Mali. What are the consequences?
PoliticsJuly 4, 2023
Polish border officials guard a metal wall on its border with Belarus

Poland strengthens Belarus border after Wagner chief arrival

More Polish officers would guard the border along Belarus, where thousands of Wagner troops have relocated.
PoliticsJuly 2, 2023
A soldier of the German military standing guard in Gao in northern Mali as part of the MINUSMA mission

Mali: UN ends peace mission, US blames Russia's Wagner

Mali has rallied behind Russia as its relations with the West have deteriorated sharply in recent years.
ConflictsJuly 1, 2023
Protesters holds a banner reading "Merci Wagner" (Thank you Wagner") during a demonstration in Bamako

Wagner Group operations in Africa

There's evidence that mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group operate in at least four African countries.
PoliticsJune 30, 202303:00 min
A member of Wagner group stands guard in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don

Did the Wagner Group have supporters within Russia's army?

Despite a "united" repsonse by Russian security forces, how did Wagner fighters come within striking distance of Moscow?
ConflictsJune 30, 2023
A man wearing a dark suit and tie in a room with a flag

Russia's war economy staggers on amid political chaos

Less than a week after the Wagner Group's attempted coup, political and economic uncertainty reigns in Russia.
BusinessJune 30, 2023
Ukrainian servicemen fire a howitzer towards Russian troops

Will the Wagner mutiny help Ukraine's counteroffensive?

Wagner mercenaries have stopped fighting alongside Russian forces for now. Will that help Ukraine's war efforts?
ConflictsJune 29, 2023
04.2015 DW Business Sendungslogo

DW Business

Decoding Wagner head Prigozhin's wealth - Nuclear plants creating Russian reliance in Europe
BusinessJune 29, 202312:30 min
Russian media report that General Sergei Surovikin has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner group's failed revolt.

Russian media report top general arrested

New revelations could signal the start of a purge at the top of the Russia's military establishment.
PoliticsJune 29, 202301:59 min
Wagner Group Boss Yevgeny Prigozhin wearing camouflage and a helmut

How 'Vladimir Putin's chef' became a billionaire

Who is Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin and how did he become so rich?
BusinessJune 29, 202302:01 min
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, and European Council President Charles Michel speak with the media as they arrive for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels

EU leaders meet to discuss Ukraine, Wagner mutiny

Leaders of the EU member states met in Brussels to discuss the recent mutiny in Russia as well as support for Ukraine.
PoliticsJune 29, 2023
Supporters of Capt. Ibrahim Traore parade wave a Russian flag in the streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

How could Wagner Group revolt impact Africa?

Could the conflict between Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Putin spill over into Africa?
ConflictsJune 29, 202302:12 min
Fighters of the Wagner Group atop a tank moving out of Rostov-on-Don

Wagner Group: What are private military companies?

So-called private military companies (PMCs) play an ever-greater role in military conflicts. But what are they?
ConflictsJune 28, 2023
Two soldiers from the Wagner Group, a private army, seen in a tank in Rostov on Don, Russia

Wagner mutiny in Russia changes EU summit agenda

EU leaders had intended to tackle membership and accession issues, but Wagner Group tanks have upended the agenda.
PoliticsJune 28, 2023
Sudan Rauchschwaden im südlichen Khartoum

AfricaLink on Air — 28 June 2023

Sudan's Darfur region relives new war crimes+++Human trafficking in West Africa+++Sierra Leone's President Bio sworn in
PoliticsJune 28, 202329:59 min
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Wagner Group mutiny: The end for Russian defense minister?

Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu is to blame for how the Ukraine war is going, the Wagner Group boss said.
PoliticsJune 28, 2023
A tank draped in a little camouflage, with a soldier on top, at night in a city street. Other tanks in the background, and a small group of young civilians behind and to the left, one fliming on a phone.

Yevgeny Prigozhin's mutiny: A stress test for Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin's contradictory treatment of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has left Russia on edge.
ConflictsJune 27, 2023
Olha Stefanishyna, stellvertretende ukrainische Ministerpräsidentin für europäische und euro-atlantische Integration

Ukraine deputy PM: 'Russia's weakness never so visible'

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, speaks to DW.
PoliticsJune 27, 202303:41 min
Xi Jinping stands next to Vladimir Putin

China-Russia: Has the Wagner Group mutiny affected ties?

An attempted insurrection in Russia has drawn attention to how far President Xi is willing to go to support Putin.
PoliticsJune 27, 2023
Three screenshots showing alleged battles by Wagner forces in Russia, all false

Fact check: Do these videos show Wagner battles in Russia?

Many videos claim to show clashes between Wagner forces and the Russian army, but not all are real.
ConflictsJune 27, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivering a speech

Wagner Group coup: Beginning of the end for Vladimir Putin?

Many questions remain about what Yevgeny Prigozhin's mutiny will mean for Vladimir Putin, Russia and Ukraine.
PoliticsJune 26, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin during a televised address on June 24

Russia's Putin under pressure after failed revolt

The Wagner group's short-lived revolt has left Moscow seeking to restore calm and reassert the President's authority.
ConflictsJune 26, 202302:59 min
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko

How the Wagner Group mutiny became a Belarusian PR triumph

Belarusian President Lukashenko's role in ending the Wagner mutiny has raised his profile as a statesman. Can it last?
PoliticsJune 26, 2023
An image of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks from the city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday June 24, as his forces seized control from the Russian military

Wagner Group's Prigozhin releases 1st message since mutiny

Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin said the aim was to avoid the destruction of the mercenary force.
ConflictsJune 26, 2023
Jens Stoltenberg in a DW interview

NATO chief speaks to DW after Wagner mutiny in Russia

The Wagner mutiny is an 'internal Russian issue,' and NATO must focus on supporting Ukraine, says Jens Stoltenberg.
PoliticsJune 26, 202302:17 min
A Wagner mercenary sits atop in a tank in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don

Wagner chief 'humiliated' Putin, Ukraine says

Ukrainian official Mykhailo Podolyak said that the Wagner mercenary group had "almost nullified" Putin.
ConflictsJune 25, 2023
Prigozhin standing in front of Wagner fighters in Bakhmut

Russia's Wagner Group: Where is it active?

Infamous private military company Wagner Group has been acting internationally in Russian interests for years.
PoliticsJune 25, 2023
A Wagner mercenary in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border

Who's who in the Prigozhin-Kremlin conflict?

Tensions between the Wagner Group and the Russian military have escalated, though Prigozhin has halted his troops.
PoliticsJune 25, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a televised address to the nation

Former Russian PM Mikhail Kasyanov: 'Putin's future started to be questioned'

ConflictsJune 25, 202306:33 min
Police officers patrol Red Square after it was closed to the public

'Prigozhin might have gambled': defense analyst Marina Miron

ConflictsJune 25, 202307:25 min
A local resident walks past members of Wagner group in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023

Kremlin drops Wagner charges, Prigozhin to Belarus

A deal brokered by Minsk will ensure the private military group won't be punished for the mutiny in Russia.
ConflictsJune 24, 2023
Barriers seen at Red Square in Moscow

World tries to make sense of Russian Wagner turmoil

The Wagner Group rebellion in Russia has given a dramatic new turn to the conflict in Ukraine.
ConflictsJune 24, 2023
An undated photograph handed out by French military shows Russian mercenaries, in northern Mali

Russia's Wagner Group in Africa: More than mercenaries

In Africa, Russia's private military contractor Wagner Group is engaged in far more than security, researchers warn.
CorruptionJune 24, 2023
A map of southeastern Russia and Ukraine, showing Rostov-on-Don

Prigozhin's push to Moscow from Rostov-on-Don

Here's a look at the route the Wagner mercenaries took as they pushed north toward Moscow.
ConflictsJune 24, 2023
A nighttime view of Russia's Defense Ministry

Moscow ramps up security following Prigozhin criticism

Russian authorities have increased security in response to a call for rebellion against Russia's military leadership.
ConflictsJune 24, 202302:31 min
Russian Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin

Wagner head Prigozhin says Russian army attacked his forces

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said Russia's military leaders targeted his mercenaries after he made critical remarks.
ConflictsJune 23, 2023
Yevgeny Prigozhin standing in front of a cemetery for Wagner Group mercenaries

Ukraine updates: Wagner Group reports 10,000 prisoner deaths

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin reported casualties that far exceed the official data from Moscow. DW has the latest.
ConflictsMay 24, 2023