Caroline Baudry 10:05 a.m., January 12, 2023
50,000 of its mercenaries are currently deployed in Ukraine.
The Wagner group, a private Russian militia, is at the heart of the fighting in the Donbass, and the source of many rumours.
But what is it exactly?
Europe 1 takes stock.
Russia, which has just appointed a new military leader, claimed to have taken control of Soledar, a small town not far from Bakhmout, thanks to the Wagner group.
50,000 of its mercenaries are also deployed in Ukraine.
But what exactly is the Wagner group?
This group, a private militia with the same name as Adolf Hitler's favorite composer, is Vladimir Putin's shadow army.
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Create a pro-Kremlin influence
It was founded in 2014 by businessman Evgueni Prigojine, close to the Russian president.
Conceived as an illegal mercenary company in Russia, Wagner recruits and trains men for combat.
At the beginning, the objective is to create pro-Kremlin zones of influence, as in Mali or the Central African Republic, without official Russian intervention.
But with the invasion of Ukraine, the group accused of numerous abuses, takes on a new dimension.
With approximately 10,000 men, he would have recruited up to 40,000 prisoners to fight in Ukraine.
Today, the organization is no longer in hiding: its headquarters have just opened in Saint Petersburg.
The founder, Evgueni Prigojine, plans to enter politics by creating an ultra-conservative party.