The exact size of the group is unclear, but Prigozhin has previously claimed that he leads a force of more than 20,000 soldiers. He has also visited Russian prisons to fill the group's ranks, promising freedom to Russian inmates between the ages of 22 and 50 if they choose to serve in the mercenary outfit for six months. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.Īfter Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, Prigozhin sent his Wagner troops to the frontlines of the war. The split between Putin and Prigozhin also raises questions about how long Wagner forces will continue to prop up Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, Nicolas Maduro's in Venezuela, and some governments in Africa, according to a U.S. The split between the Kremlin and Prigozhin's Wagner forces raises questions about the future of the group's influence in those regions. In the years since, the Wagner Group has been suspected of operating in at least 30 countries to further Russian interests, including in Syria, Libya, Venezuela, and the Central African Republic. Prigozhin recently admitted to founding the Wagner Group in 2014 to support Russia in its annexation of Crimea and provide military assistance to pro-Russian separatists fighting in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. The Wagner mercenary group is a paramilitary organization founded by Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a longtime close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is what you need to know about the Wagner Group and its leader: 'Those who organized and prepared the military uprising, who took arms against their military comrades, have betrayed Russia and will pay for it,' Putin said. In an address to the nation Saturday morning, Putin vowed to punish Prigozhin and the Wagner troops supporting the 'attempted armed rebellion.' The Wagner mercenary group came within 200 kilometers of Moscow on Saturday, before agreeing in the evening to turn around because Russian 'blood might be shed,' Prigozhin said. Tensions boiled over on Friday after Prigozhin said his Wagner mercenaries would lead a 'march of justice' against the Russian army. Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian paramilitary organization known as Wagner Group, said he will end an attempted coup d'état against Russian President Vladimir Putin, turn his mercenary group around from Moscow, and start heading in the opposite direction.ĭespite months of supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, Prigozhin has grown increasingly critical of the Russian Ministry of Defense and its efforts to support the war. Watch Video: Russian coup attempt raises questions about Ukraine war.

What is the true story behind the act