Russia’s private military force, explained

Inside the Wagner Group’s playbook.
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On January 10, 2023, the Ukrainian town of Soledar was reportedly captured. But it wasn’t captured by the Russian army under Vladimir Putin’s command. The announcement came from a relatively unknown man, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who said his troops now controlled the town. The troops are part of the Wagner Group, a private army that has become a prominent force alongside Russian troops in the war against Ukraine.
But they aren’t new. They've been secretly fighting for Russia around the world since 2014. In this video, we take a look at their playbook and examine the three main steps they use to spread Russian influence around the world in brutal ways. We also look at how they’ve transformed from a ghost army to a recognizable private military group with insignias and an online brand, changing the nature of this secret group and its role in the world.
Sources and further reading:
Candace Rondeaux’s detailed report about the Wagner Group can be found here:
www.newamerica.org/internatio...
For a summary of Syria’s ongoing conflict, we recommed this brief overview by CFR:
www.cfr.org/global-conflict-t...
If you’d like to understand France’s role in Mali in more depth, check out this Q&A by CSIS:
www.csis.org/analysis/end-ope...
And to get a more detailed understanding of Wagner’s arrival in Mali, including additional satellite imagery, check out this CSIS investigation:
​​www.csis.org/analysis/trackin...
For a more in-depth look at the mass grave linked to Wagner Groups in Mali, you can read and watch France 24’s coverage here:
www.france24.com/en/africa/20...
This UN report (in French) provides an overview of the human impact the conflict and the Wagner Group have had on civilians in Mali:
minusma.unmissions.org/sites/...
You can find the full transcript of the 2017 meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin and then-president of Sudan Omar Al-Bashar here:
en.kremlin.ru/events/president...
This investigation by OCCPR reveals the links between Wagner’s gold mining ties and Sudanese military companies in detail:
www.occrp.org/en/investigatio...
To understand how the Wagner Group brands itself and shows up online and around the world, we checked Prigozhin’s telegram account here:
t.me/concordgroup_official/254
And Reverse Side of the Medal, the Wagner Group’s unofficial telegram account:
tlgrm.ru/channels/@rsotmdivision
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[@a.vidal-rosset8221]

For the Wagner massacres in Mali, Wagner and the local military actually blamed the French troops that had just left. What they didn’t expect, was that French military knew Wagner was coming and expected Wagner would takeover their former base so they filmed with surveillance drones, and actually recorded Wagner setting up the massacres

[@loading2256]

The French didn't actually fillm the wagner group massacre civilians but they filmed them moving civilian bodies right by the former base to blame the French. As for where they found those bodies...

[@bumin7095]

french again taking the L, The passiveness of France surprises me everytime.

[@HebrewsElevenTwentyFive]

@@bumin7095 They are not passive. They are milking many West African countries dry as we sit here and type.

[@bumin7095]

@@HebrewsElevenTwentyFive China and Russia taking all the resources while france is pulling away.

[@bigty5474]

@@bumin7095 what do you want us to do actually. We didn't have the right to send troops there anymore

[@teaeternal]

Private military is just scary in general.

[@8is]

Not really. They're always kept in check by their respective countries since no state is really willing to give up its military power. They're basically as scary as their home country is authoritarian. If you look at how private militaries eliminated somali piracy, you can see how interlinked it was with the US military, which is why it isn't seen as some scary thing but a necessary action to ensure free trade done partially by private means.

[@jeltje50]

Basically modern day warlords.

[@hmm7258]

They are not really private, it is a way for Russia to change wars hundreths kilometers away

[@nicolasiden4074]

Well in reality in this case it is not private. It belongs to russian governament, it is private only officially

[@yanbarbosa8092]

​@@8is the usa uses it s private companys to among other things foment coup in unfriendly countries so yes it's pretty scary when an imperialist state uses them

[@KaluMallii]

This documentary aged well.

[@deandredunbar9618]

lol

[@TossMesh]

lol

[@captainbluemccoy223]

“Will”

[@tabergineman7241]

more aged now

[@akashshah1839]

As a regular viewer of Vox, I had saved this video to watch later on someday. Today was the day to watch it when Wagner group has threatened Russian military. Coincidentally interesting 🤔

[@shantodas8184]

they just played the uno reverse card on russia itself

[@rishikeshwagh]

Same. I guess that watch later turned into watch now lol

[@adiraj9198]

The real game now begins..a REAL TEST FOR PUTIN!

[@muhammadzazulirizki1000]

Lol. Me too!

[@nasrullahkanok8313]

Only for 16 hours? LOL

[@-nomi.-]

State-supported corporation with a global reach based on military assets? I guess the methods of the East India Company and its ilk never truly went out of style.

[@nocapnobs7845]

It goes way back before the EIC.

[@lm_b5080]

i thought you were talking about the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan

[@abrahamel-gothamy6472]

American corporations too( Dole & Hailburton)! Dutch (Shell) and British (BP)! It’s all bad

[@Neutralino]

@@lm_b5080 The classic playbook of bringing up these at every single opportunity, regardless of the topic being discussed.

[@catmonarchist8920]

Sounds like the knights templar

[@Neutralino]

It’s “private” in name only. It’s a way for the Russian government to place blame elsewhere.

[@wolfgangbr1576]

that's simply not true. Wagner is literally blaming the official military for every failure; Prigoshin is publicly portraying himself and his forces as the better alternative than the governmental institutions.

[@RomanLavandos]

@@wolfgangbr1576 opposition in russia that can take prisoners, mobiks, has its own army and wasn't thrown out of the window or drank novichok? navalny wasn't allowed to even have 10% of that before being poisoned and jailed. Yeah, definitely not affiliated with the russian government

[@DemiG0D23]

@@wolfgangbr1576 And? It's just different branches of the same structure and elements of inner struggle for power. Like arguing you "technically" don't own a shell company because you pay a fee to third party to own it on paper, while you are de facto an owner and issue commands.

[@Rudy2k5]

Exactly! It's simply a way for the regime to deny any implication in conflict around the world.

[@VtTraves]

United states and British are innocents. They have not stollen, sorry steeling resources from another countries. Invaded other countries.

[@alr2157]

Remember Blackwater? ... It was renamed Xe Services in 2009, and was again renamed Academi in 2011 after it was acquired by a group of private investors. In 2014, Academi merged with Triple Canopy, a subsidiary of Constellis Group. Later, Academi was fully integrated into the parent company, and now operates under the name Constellis.

[@failuregaming6611]

The media will ensure people won't know about them.

[@spacemichael9090]

@@failuregaming6611 every knows about black water and if you go to the Wikipedia page the first thing it says it is now under Constellis. This isn’t some big secret

[@mohamedissa5676]

Its only bad when someone else do it, But when the west do it it is OK

[@sirlancelot8809]

Video: about Wagner "but but but how about US?"

[@pedroholsbach8592]

@Sir Lancelot It's relevant tho. Russia learned to use mercenaries to maintain a degree of plausible deniability from the US. The US popularized the use of mercenary groups as an extension of their own military in places like Afgjanistan and Iraq

[@ayushsachan1129]

anybody here after Wagner's mutiny?

[@koderamerikaner5147]

They won

[@RexOlafusVidulusMagnus]

@@koderamerikaner5147 not really, nut not that they didnt

[@thePronto]

Interesting how Prigozhin can walk the tightrope of: - a legal company doing illegal business, with employees 'paroled' from state prisons - not associated with the Russian Ministry of Defense but clearly part of the command structure in Ukraine - not being a member of the ruling elite in Russia (Siloviki) but able to criticize them publicly It seems clear that if Putin goes, Prigozhin goes too.

[@Lucas-vd2gx]

Up you go sir!

[@LevSeven_]

It's actually a bit more sinister. Prigozhin is taking this publicity, showing that the Wagner group is competent in stark contrast to the rest of the Russian military. His plan isn't to go when Putin goes, Prigozhin's plan is to take over once Putin is ousted.

[@KasumiRINA]

He probably goes earlier. Remember everyone claimed that Surkov was the gray cardinal behind putin? Well he's on home arrest now. Before that, Dugin was the media's top putin's rasputin... as irrelevant as he was. Prigozhin was used and will be discarded when he isn't needed.

[@81OH4Z4RD]

If Putin goes i suspect it will be with a Wagner bullet.

[@johnyj2082]

Lie, upon a lie, upon a lie - all contradicting each other. Simply the russian way of living.

[@wizzzer1337]

We sometimes forget that historically in warfare mercenaries are the the norm rather than the exception. the wars between states being fought almosy exclusively by nationalized militaries is a relatively recent thing. Even the greatest Empires of old heavily relied on mercenaries.

[@dardoura]

bro some people were born yesterday and will take this video as a start of a history lesson then go and act as experts. People need to realise that this is one of the many military groups out there and they mainly do it for money and 'favors'. The only difference is, this group has light shed on them. Others are still working in the dark.

[@KasumiRINA]

@@dardoura in russia, mercenaries are illegal. The "mercenary" groups you hear about got a special permission from putin, they're effectively just another branch of russian armed force like VDV or Bars reservists.

[@GCOSBenbow]

Even modern wars are fought mostly with mercenaries it just isn't as publicised. The only partial exception to that would be the second world war as most countries had forced conscription and colonial empires spanning ~80% of the known world. The most notable mercenary group operating in WW2 would be the ghurkhas and even they were treated on paper just like any other regular soldier in the British army (other than the inhuman respect they garnered for their military prowess).

[@dardoura]

@@KasumiRINA War itself is a crime so we can forget what's illegal. There are so called private military groups that you can rent, if you have the money and influence. It's not about nationality, it's politics and business.

[@mbogucki1]

Not really. Most wars were fought by militias or conscripts called upon during times of war. In the west the Romans changed all that by creating a professional army along of auxiliary. Other Empires followed. During the middle ages it was back to militias and conscripts as no one had the resources or funds for standing armies. Then as kingdoms gave way to states and countries it was back to professional armies. This is of course an over simplification but mercenaries were rarely the main force used in conflict and usually a supplement.

[@vukadzemovic2375]

Anyone here after Wagner coup?

[@headerbidding]

June 23, 2023. Comment for this historic moment.

[@Luke-lj1hb]

Yup

[@G3NG3N]

24

[@adrianianov6872]

Here on June 24😏

[@heynowur9146]

Here

[@moussasouaibou7041]

In Iraq, the American army made massive use of private security companies, such as Xe (ex-Blackwater). The "incident reports" published by WikiLeaks in October 2010, showed that these companies were often involved in incidents that caused the death of civilians.

[@rdamnitistillexist9189]

Ok... and

[@renanfelipedossantos5913]

Yes, and?

[@msmarium42]

Blackwater & Wagner are the same.. They'll all go unpunished

[@RedArrow808]

Blackrock and the like bring shame to the American people

[@Pantsinabucket]

Except blackwater wasn’t allowed to recruit prisoners, was nowhere near the size of Wagner, didn’t have heavy equipment, and wasn’t directly controlled by the US government.

[@elfpr0n]

Do you have any articles about wagner's operations in indonesia? As an indonesian ive never heard about their activities here.

[@Claudius8]

Yea, i'm also surprised when I saw Indonesia on the map

[@noxtorism]

Tried searching in Google but all i could find were only their activities in Africa but maybe that's because they're more popular there

[@BreadyToCrumble]

It's strange that they highlighted Indonesia - If Wagner was around in 1998 I would maybe understand, but not if Wagner was founded after 2014. The only thing I can think of them doing there is providing private security to some Russians, and that's it really. I'd still really like to see a source though.

[@hambatuhan3165]

@@BreadyToCrumble same here

[@1nadjmi1]

VOx is using data from CSIS with title "The Expansion of Russian Private Military Companies" by Brian Katz, Seth G. Jones, Catrina Doxsee, Nicholas Harrington September 2020. It highlights Wagner was active in 2016 in Indonesia, eventhough the article did not mention what kind of activities Wagner conducted at the time.

[@Jayshiver]

Well, this is an awkward video to come back to

[@CivilGun]

Who would've guess wagner was gonna pull a coup.

[@helloyoutube1338]

yea unbelievable

[@ColourBlindHero]

"Vlad have you looked at our our symbol recently? I've just been looking at our symbol, it's got a skull on it. Vlad, are we the baddies?"😱

[@matiassam2507]

I got that reference HAHA

[@oasis1282]

Pirates are fun

[@aussiejezza]

You're become the very thing you swore to destroy

[@vickomen3697]

@@aussiejezza Oops! Just don't look at the Ukraininan Azov ones and their Bandera

[@esanahka9284]

@@vickomen3697 And instant whataboutism 😄 You Russian bots just can't argue about anything can you

[@intelligent_toaster738]

fun fact: in the december of 2021 Prigozhin still denied his affiliance with the Wagner group. He even brought it to court when Alexei Venedictov (head of the independent radio station Echo of Moscow) was sued for 1 million rubles for his accusations of Prigozhin being the founder of the Wagner group. And Im pretty sure its not the only time someone was sued by Prigozhin for that.

[@magakov99]

independent media/radio stations do not exist

[@marysartr]

It wasn't independent it's actually funded by the US

[@sergsergo6581]

собака лаешь - ветер несёт

[@gypsygypsy7185]

You mad 🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺

[@zenith_linear]

Also existence of PMC is illegal according to Russian Constitution

[@royalmatarako1092]

Who’s here after they started to turn on Putin

[@Luke-lj1hb]

Me

[@taquilatricepss]

well well well how the table have turned now

[@muzzamilsalman4117]

i am here watching from sudan. its really heartbreaking to see that our resources are being wasted while our people are struggling to live day to day.

[@BigBrotherMars]

Blame the Russians

[@deontecoleman4582]

They're lying Russia and China have they're own resources they don't need Africans resources.

[@deontecoleman4582]

@@BigBrotherMars I didn't even finish the video but they're lying it's vox!

[@akunajoshua]

I am not blaming the Russians... The Russians have been very helpful to those who know exactly what is going on...

[@strauss7151]

It's an IQ problem. Not anyone else's fault.

[@jiq686]

Wait, Prigozhin was a cater? That was some Netflix worth material

[@KasumiRINA]

He is often described by media as "putin's chef" but that's a misnomer. He essentially runs a catering business, yes, but it's the other way around with his company getting government contracts for catering BECAUSE he's friends with putin, and not the other way around. Prigozhin's basically does organized crime that's part of russia state at this point.

[@MartijnterHaar]

He's a career criminal who spent most of the 80s in jail. After his release he got involved in the types of businesses criminals like, like casinos and restaurants.

[@vasylisakot]

@@KasumiRINA , всё так, восхищаюсь вашими познаниями 👍🏻

[@thePronto]

According to Wiki, he started off his 'catering career' as a street hotdog vendor, probably after he was released from prison (~10 years) for street crime and prostitution. He managed to get Russian government contracts for catering for schools and the Russian Army. He comes from Saint Petersburg, so that is the Putin connection.

[@laincoubert7236]

yes, russian politics in general is worth writing scripts about lol prigozhin isn't even the most outrageous character in russia's modern history

[@jamesward5721]

Supplying mercenary troops is one of the oldest businesses on earth. In past centuries, the Swiss were one of the most feared mercenaries - they decided most European conflicts depending on which side they chose to work for. Other feared mercenaries were the Russian-Germans - the Kriegers - or "Mercenary warriors" - their entire culture base was hiring soldiers to governments that needed muscle. This ^ is nothing new - it is an ancient business based on extreme violence for hire.

[@Brucebanner1432]

Even turks were very good mercenaries, probably one of the best in the world.

[@MarioDude34500]

Well this video got more interesting suddenly

[@jude_the_apostle]

A massive reason you missed and probably the main reason, plausible deniability for the Russian government. Undeclared intervention was the new trend till Putin straight up invaded a country old school style

[@overlord5068]

He did nothing wrong.

[@overlord5068]

Are you crying?

[@esanahka9284]

@@overlord5068 I don't think he is crying, but i bet moms of about 130k Russians are crying for their dead sons 😄

[@arslan0115]

Well, then remember how the US invaded Iraq.

[@groupb9420]

@@esanahka9284 do you have links?

[@gut9941]

I just love it that you use the video description for a list of your sources and for furhter readings!

[@chopdoublenine6946]

Very interesting, keep up the good work!

[@whitespring_]

So basically like Black Water?

[@obamasglock]

I'm surprised they didn't mention Wagner troops openly attacking an American base in Syria. Wagner suffered a humiliating defeat, but it shows their willingness to do so.

[@german_novotiable]

after that, their troops made a revenge in South America

[@GeorgeFafa]

sources, evidence. or shut up.

[@felixkepler6871]

You're saying it like the American base somewhere is good and legitimate.

[@AntonSobyanin]

Can you tell me what the Americans are doing in Syria? Who invited them there? Oh, that's right, nobody. Nobody wants Americans in Syria.

[@GAFloppa]

Nobody seems to know about the incident with the Hind and the British peacekeepers in Mali too

[@joshuawilliams8841]

Phenomenal video Vox. Glad someone is illuminating this issue.

[@jubbyquarkret4262]

Bot

[@arnavsharma1877]

@@jubbyquarkret4262 they dont know about mosaic

[@CrimsonAlchemist]

Sounds exactly like Black Water 😅 sponsored by US government

[@vasylisakot]

Привет пригожинские тролли 👋🏻😅

[@bloodlove93]

sureeeeee...minus the abortion that is the pronunciation of wagner. forget the modern military force,look back at the musical composer, both pronounced vogner

[@colinyuan5404]

Would like to see some introduction to US private companies like black water

[@penduloustesticularis1202]

When the vicious pitbull you raised turns on you. 🤣👍

[@Brodzik-kz8nt]

basically it's Blackwater and any potential war crimes can be blamed on the PMC instead of the government

[@Admiral-General_Aladeen]

Private mercenaries are also illegal under russian law meaning if wagner would ever become a problem they could just arrest all of them

[@Smoothie--oy8ri]

I know this might be nitpicking, but the Wagner Group is supposed to be pronounced with a "v" sound, not a "w" sound. The group got it's name from the German composer Richard Wagner. In addition, in Cyrillic it is spelled as "Группа Вагнера" and the "В" in Russian sounds exactly like an English "v".

[@logat1847]

Why’d they name themselves after Wagner?

[@AndreaFasani]

@@logat1847 wagner was loved by a certain political movement with the passion for swastikas.

[@AndreaFasani]

So annoying every time she repeats that

[@alexanderherzog3064]

Yeah. I hate when people mispronounce easily pronounced words that they should be able to fact check on

[@calvincostic]

You're not wrong, but I think there's a decent argument to be made that the "w" sound is just part of the English translation of the name. Kind of like how nobody pronounces Volkswagen as the true German "folksvagen"

[@user-nj3sn6pp4v]

Это они ещё про ЧВК Редан не слышали!

[@WWhiteRunGuard]

Самое отбитое ЧВК😂

[@fistfulhandy]

Got back here after Wagner is turning their back against Putin.

[@Bloodmuffin6]

Would be great to see a comparison with US companies like Blackwater

[@someoneniice]

Conflict Intelligence Team's Ruslan Leviev often points out that Wagner group cannot be seen as a private military company in a traditional way. His argument is that PMCs in general are actually armed security forces, which often operate in conflict zones. They deliver military cargos and provide, well, guardsmen services for bases etc, but stay out of actual military action. Whereas wagners are all about combat, offensives, killings and so on. So Ruslan concludes, that wg is a mercenary organization in the worst sense of this concept.

[@nedisahonkey]

Exactly. Wagner is worse but Black Rock/Academi/Constellis is sickening in their own right and completely homegrown. The fact that they have to change their name every couple years to deflect criticism is clear evidence of their malfeasance.

[@sevenoxia7199]

@@nedisahonkey The fact that their criticised proves the point that the US is a free nation, while Russia is stuck in the war mongering past.

[@Mcbignuts]

@@someoneniice a mercenary company that doesnt fight isn't a mercenary company, it's a corrupt scam that functions as a front for greedy ppl to pocket money Wagner is a true mercenary company

[@evin4875]

Blackwater doesn't exist anymore

[@Amazombe]

I'd love to hear about private military forces of other countries as well!

[@ackiid]

No. Russia bad mkey

[@navaryn2938]

nothing happened in Nisour Square in september 16 2007

[@VMohdude-]

@@navaryn2938and Wagner has done nisour square times a hundred recently. And how many of them had Russia imprisoned? At the U.S jailed four guys responsible for nisour square.

[@MrDaol23]

​@@ackiid yeah it is

[@GriboedovAnton]

nowadays rasha bad, so sry, try to come back later.

[@narrowpie]

I'm here because of the current situation in Russia.

[@SA-3270]

@Vox Could you also do a video on the issues discussed in John Perkins book 'The Confessions of an Economic Hitman" and explain how this is different from what the US is doing and has been doing for a long time?

[@clercfred]

Unfortunately I think that many people living in non western countries feel like a similar video could be made about the US private military sector...

[@_M4X15]

They have made videos about blackwater

[@MultiNike79]

USA "private" companies are very criminal. If only verbal accusations from the Anglo-Saxons can be found about Wagner, then the war crimes of American mercenaries are fully documented in photos and videos.

[@lakshkarkera4661]

they wont coz prpoganda

[@sevenoxia7199]

Except the US government condemns most of these groups and never held the shear size that Wagner does today and were mostly used for logistics, not murdering whole towns.

[@lakshkarkera4661]

@@sevenoxia7199 well that's what the government is telling you

[@albinjohnsson2511]

It's closer to "Vaagner" than "Waggner". It's a German name and Germanic languages pronounce W as an English V.

[@Mariusmjvr]

English is a Germanic language.

[@sadface7457]

They cannot pronounce the name which is like a tell they haven't done their due diligence

[@evannehmadi9437]

Great journalism, Vox! Keep it up!

[@LinkStarer]

this aged well

[@goblinzaku6211]

Hey vox just a heads up: In “private military corps”, the corps part is pronounced as “core” not “corpse”.

[@AntonAdelson]

Thanks! Also, Wagner is pronounced as Vagner.

[@m315p]

@@AntonAdelson Wagner is pronounced as “corpse”

[@Crudeliciousbops]

The spelling says otherwise but ok.

[@sb_dunk]

​@@AntonAdelson Yeah but we don't say Moskva for Moscow or Varshava for Warsaw, some things have common English pronunciations.

[@ThatNorma]

Many people thought it was only the US doing this lol...

[@savagepro9060]

glad you acknowledge the CIA does it too, and they do it even better

[@ganymedekaramazenes9273]

Blackwater

[@ceasar8679]

The US doesn't hide its military intervention like putin. Putin sends his shadow army to intervene militarily in other nations

[@aidenshannahan2466]

The secretive parts of the us does do some immoral things but for the most part don't they do the morally right thing which compared to this Russian group seems like it's all very very immoral

[@ceasar8679]

@@aidenshannahan2466 don't forget to count the secretive deeds of Russia from the soviet times. Genocides, deportations and ethnic cleansing

[@fernandoferreira5156]

US: "Russian army is bad" also us: "Wagner group is scary"

[@WWhiteRunGuard]

The Wagner PMCs have better equipment, but tougher rules. Deserted or did not go on the attack - execution with a sledgehammer.

[@Targaryennn]

US Army is good then?

[@neenabzamro3759]

funny how Wagner suddenly became the villain and first in the history of humankind as a private killing machine while Britain, US, and the rest of Europe had similar companies hundreds of years ago with the same or actually worse mission.

[@lukemaher7901]

This video isn’t nearly long enough.

[@nedisahonkey]

I agree. Sometimes Vox's focus on short foucsed videos is a detriment. Their is a lot more they could have examined both with Wagner and with the widers use of PMCs around the world.

[@deontecoleman4582]

@@nedisahonkey blackwater Is worse than wagner.

[@TrokgornyBall]

It's funny that Russian law also says that if a mercenary fights in the interests of Russia, then he is no longer a mercenary. This gap in Russian legislation essentially legitimizes the activities of mercenaries.

[@marysartr]

It's not a gap it specifically excludes PMCs that help the state.

[@user-ms2go7fn2d]

show me it

[@TrokgornyBall]

@@user-ms2go7fn2d Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Article 359 - Mercenary. Point 3.Note. A mercenary is a person who acts in order to receive material reward and is not a citizen of *a state participating in an armed conflict* or hostilities, who does not permanently reside on its territory, and who is not a person sent to perform official duties.

[@abelrozario2073]

Same goes for America

[@GriboedovAnton]

@@abelrozario2073 russia bad, so hush!

[@Beds58157]

Who is here 24.06.2023?

[@heynowur9146]

Me

[@cluster4583]

Wait I didn't realize the coup started on the 24th pretty funny considering the war started in the 24th of feb

[@deadlyninja6214]

Fun fact: Wagner group has a Military base in my home country (Argentina) due to Argentina and Russias relationship.

[@markok0610]

Donde? Nombre?

[@user-qm5kl9vf4l]

good.

[@deadlyninja6214]

@@markok0610 El gobierno se clasificó al respecto ya que no quieren ser conocidos por posibles agentes de la CIA.

[@zg64]

Ronaldo better

[@SportZFan4L1fe]

Argentina is about to join BRICS so that its economy won't collapse every ten years.

[@savikone]

3:33 it was stated that the group was deployed to my country Indonesia, but when it did deployed? I did not see one the streets nor heard one on the news, at least in my area.

[@Eonclaire]

western nonsense as usual. Pretty sure US troops are all over the world instead of this Wagner group

[@vaesnavadevaadhyatma9400]

Me too. I'm so confuse about the Indonesia one. Paid Soldier is illegal in Indonesia. Gun, military activity is a government only. There has been no proof of Wegner Existence in Indonesia

[@tychay]

Not all Wagner does is military. My guess is their presence in Indonesia is related to banking/money laundering or training paramilitary forces (Indonesia has a sizable one in the latter), but I didn't look closely. It's believed that Progozhin has close ties to the country.

[@1Shapic1]

American satellites caught them on vacation there, don't mind.

[@antoinette5152]

The Same for South Africa? And we know they definitely not looting here.

[@mangeshadbale4337]

I think such groups are also present in US .and they where active in Afghanistan.

[@abrahambanat5990]

Yup, Blackwater, Academi, and the other PMCs in America

[@DogeickBateman]

@@abrahambanat5990 Academi is Blackwater, they took a rebranding after their ah not so cashmoney actions in Iraq

[@faissal8997]

America is exceptional as usual. Americans call them "private military contractors", but in Russia's case they call them mercenaries.

[@DogeickBateman]

@@faissal8997 Blah blah america this america that the term was invented by Brits in the late 1980s

[@faissal8997]

@@DogeickBateman who is talking about the term?

[@chandima94]

This video bout to blow up

[@cittatresnati8232]

Totally didn't expect to see Indonesia up there, never heard anything about Wagner group activity in my home country, wondering what is their source

[@elizabethdavis1696]

Please do a video on the Ohio train derailment!

[@marsel8718]

You will never see this, democracy ✌🏻

[@biswaranjanpanigrahy98]

As usual things in usa

[@thl205]

Type it into your KZbin search bar.

[@haikalhadzik7744]

Nothing happened in Ohio, china tianmen playbook.

[@Kay-td2fc]

what train... Oh look, is that a UFO in the sky

[@EmilIrgi18]

Can I have a source on Wagner Group's presence in Indonesia? I'm pretty surprised that they are/were here.

[@Tab1300]

All I can find is an FBI report that says wagner has interests in the region, if I would have a guess it's to train militants or possibly recruitment.

[@grimsobad8545]

@@Tab1300 dude, train militants? 😂 Indonesia seems to be a very stable developing country

[@EmilIrgi18]

@@Tab1300 Any links to the source?

[@kentershackle1329]

@@Tab1300 Yup, typical smearing... Indonesia military uses lots of ex Soviets / Russian weapons.. These wagners are technical support staff..

[@louiskuypers550]

@@grimsobad8545 How about Papua huh? And the growing threat of terrorism?

[@melissasalasblair5273]

Thanks for the segment. 2:30 sums it up lol

[@MistRVertexZ]

Media when blackwater: :-) media when wagner: >:(

[@superhero38923]

it's actually funny to hear all this from Americans and Europeans ...

[@TolzXaarghaart]

The oddly Spanish pronounciation of Soledar did catch me of guard at 0:05

[@danilshchukin1849]

It's a Russian/Ukranian pronunciation, not the Spanish one, they just sound similar cause of the R sound which is kinda the same for both of them.

[@hrsmp]

It's correct pronounciation.

[@MaisonPreston]

yeah i didn't notice at first but now i feel that Spanish spin to it with a long r sound 😁

[@sadyakubovich]

@@danilshchukin1849 the soft "D" makes it sound spanish though

[@worldoftancraft]

@@danilshchukin1849 the famous Ukraîna or Rossiâ's month "ogust" - not something like "avgust".

[@user-dj1lh1ty4t]

I love the way when Vox talks about the annexation of Crimea, and then few minutes later draws an incorrect map of Russian Federation without part of Krasnodar Krai (4:32)

[@twmetall]

So the he next video should be about PMC Blackwater i guess....?)

[@Anarcath]

Great reporting.

[@xavierrenger]

So you're telling me that the guy from the Kremlin's cafeteria is now running military cov-ops in Ukraine? 💀💀

[@user-qt2pq5ru3t]

Yea

[@yaboyed5779]

Get this man a mini series already.

[@wallback1851]

И ? Бывший шут - президент Украины.

[@youtube_is_shit]

@@wallback1851 МЕГАХАРОШ

[@AJ-et3vf]

Great video. Thank you

[@Scwarzkop]

Update: They've mutinied against the Russians

[@BaronAnon]

Wagner also isn't the only private military group in Russia, although the most notorious at the moment.

[@deontecoleman4582]

What about blackwater haven't they committed war crimes also?

[@sugandesenuds6663]

@@deontecoleman4582 what does blackwater have to do with anything?

[@user-ge6eh3fg2b]

@@deontecoleman4582 and what about your whatabout, whataboutist. Noone even mentioned Blackwater or am i blind?

[@ericisdead95]

Lol why are you guys suddenly so defensive when someone mentions another pmc group?? Lol 😂

[@code6499]

@@ericisdead95 not really defensive, it just doesn't have any correlation to the original comment.

[@KM-04]

Very interesting. A comparative analysis video on Wagner and Blackwater would be awesome! Or a video like such, but about Blackwater will be great! Please make one if you guys have time!

[@user-hc6vy2vm8y]

Vox, as an american company, will never do video on this

[@jersood9059]

Oh they already have a video about blackwater and a massacre in Iraq

[@ebonymaw8457]

@@user-hc6vy2vm8ythey make videos bashing America all the time stop lying to yourself, please.

[@warrenkensington6091]

so do you support russian war against Ukraine?

[@ebonymaw8457]

@@armshelp662 I'm going to break this down to you, slowly, so you'll get it. The guy I replied to was implying that Vox would never make a video on Blackwater. This is because Vox is an American company. Reporting on Blackwater would make America (the country Vox is from) look bad. Okay. So then I said that Vox is very accustomed to doing just that (making America look bad). So this is not a good reason for why Vox would avoid making a video on Blackwater. Okay. Did this make sense? Should I break it down further? If my sentences were too long, do feel free to just reply and let me know.

[@omaralgobory7216]

Just like black water wow

[@timruhani9115]

A private military appears to be a form of responsible deflection from those who orchestrate it, sort of like a legal scape goat or a drone pilot who does real life activities with zero accountability while sitting in a comfortable box.

[@deproissant]

Wait, where in Indonesia are they? Russia are very much revered by general Indonesians who pay the tiniest bit of attention to global politics, but I'm not sure these same people would look at them fondly if they have private militias in their own backyard.

[@primodei110]

Bali

[@Handle35667]

I keep seeing people bring up Blackwater… The U.S. has all of the U.S. military to use as a private and completely unaccountable military force. Blackwater is irrelevant. The analogous force to Wagner in the U.S. is the U.S. military.

[@gautambubna328]

Hopely one day you will release same detailed video of US doing same things ☺️

[@bikigcc2007]

Vox wont do that, coz it doesn't suit their narrative, US is the moral custodian of the world, whereas Russia is the villain and the uncivilized bully.

[@radagast1184]

But the US doesn't do the same things so it's difficult to do a video about it

[@GriboedovAnton]

@@radagast1184 things like what?

[@nandwani88]

You should do a video comparing Blackwater to Wagner. At the moment, I don’t really see a difference between them, their roles, how they operate, and their results

[@bruh1077]

Only difference is Wagner consists of heavy Islamic extremists. That’s where they get the majority of their brutality, and war crimes. Through the Islamic terrorists they employee. Many Chechens, and alike people.

[@Hybridsystem818]

Blackwater hasnt been around for a decade, they got bought out by a different company and now work much smaller scale more in security

[@ZaavanMusic]

Do Blackwater, DynCorp, FDG Corp. next

[@warriorfb2216]

Cope harder

[@kotIetukas]

I think attribution of 2014 invasion to wagner could be awfully inaccurate. Russia rented military bases in crimea and most likelly used own regular troops for the invasion.

[@ultimatefriikki]

The spottings of Zoopark vehicles in Ukraine in ~2015 kinda points me to believe they were actual russian military

[@SlashnKashmir]

I am not sure whether this video aged well

[@younes-47]

Merryweather in real life.

[@benjaminvanderlund9522]

USA invents Blackwater private military, Russia goes, OK we do the same. USA: hey thats not fair

[@lilydemelo2634]

I just went to read the Wiki page(maybe not the best source) and their map of Wagner activities is different from yours. South Africa isn't included on the Wiki's map(I even checked that lady's research paper and there is nothing about South Africa there as well). Where can I read about South Africa's activities with Wagner? I can't find articles about it.

[@deontecoleman4582]

Wagner is not in south Africa vox is lying they're making it up.

[@stepanfedorov561]

Oops

[@abcddef2112]

Yeah pretty sketchy source by vox, Indonesia mentioned too but no specifics on what they do. No proof they exist as well.

[@vuyanimaster2212]

Lily de Melo,there is no Wagner musicians in South Africa,this is a blatant lie from Ms Reporter!

[@adrianianov6872]

This aged well...😬

[@ianmeaker7587]

Hi, what’s the source relating to Wagner operating in South Africa (as indicated on the map at 3m33seconds)? Thanks

[@chriswong8659]

Really good! More please

[@gfygber9639]

It's so sad everyone, even Mercenaries are exploiting African resources for their own good, resources that belong to the people but they are incapable of using and benefiting from them.

[@duaiskosana1360]

Decolonisation

[@BigBrotherMars]

Gjk

[@Arborpress]

Corrupt African governments let it happen.

[@n00n1n]

Everybody needs to start calling Putin: Vladimir Pooping... Lol

[@dalexandus]

Love you're videos

[@goekhanbag]

This is literal Metal Gear Solid in real life.

[@deordered.]

Couldn't have said it any better!

[@kapyshpavellazerkong2366]

2:20 это что за покемооон )))))

[@bez_zdachi]

Трансформер)))

[@bez_zdachi]

Типо трансвестит 😂😂😂

[@dog5653]

Трансгендер воин

[@Steven-bd1fv]

Glory to PMC Wagner!

[@paulroque]

Also feature US and French private armies 💀🥴

[@mooooooooooomooooooooooomo6829]

Why will they do that

[@Dangermaniac206]

Where have I seen this before? Oh yes, Blackwater Mercenaries !

[@grimsobad8545]

You mean Blackwater?

[@IagoVital]

@@grimsobad8545 Yes, he meant that one. Which has recently been renamed Constellis.

[@Dangermaniac206]

@@grimsobad8545 Lol yes it’s Blackwater, I had my mind somewhere else 😂

[@grimsobad8545]

@@IagoVital oh that’s interesting!

[@chefjonsf]

I learned more in this eight minute video than the hour I spent reading about them in the New Yorker.

[@ado4224]

Great video, the first 10seconds were too surfrace level though

[@mohd8218]

Some background on the status of other mercenary providers would have been helpful.

[@mohd8218]

@@solusmaximus2566 i didnt say what about this or that. Im not saying its ok because look at them too. But cant we call out all mercenary groups. Is it too hard to say that all mercenaries are bad?

[@whotfisliz]

@@mohd8218 thats not what this video is about, so yes, it would have been misplaced here

[@gabbar51ngh]

Thry only care about russia using PMCs. Similar to how only European empires are vilified, Muslim empires throughout history are ignored for their extensive use of slavery.

[@faissal8997]

Yeah, America has the right to use mercenaries but its opponents don't. It's American exceptionalism in journalism.

[@dropit7694]

@@solusmaximus2566 so you only hate it when russian PMT exists? Sounds like you don't care about western crimes against humanity

[@the_officials38]

I was wondering if Indonesia was also influenced by Wagner, by your map it did

[@raifvr1896]

yeah me too, i'm searching on internet and found nothing about Wagner group in Indonesia (also reading one of the reference that provided by VOX but found nothing about Wagner operating in Indonesia)

[@the_officials38]

@@raifvr1896 What's scary is that 2011 is the first On foot Wagner, thats still SBY era, 2014+ is Jokowi, idk what they are doing here

[@unsrescyldas9745]

@@the_officials38 Advisory board? how to fight against ISIS and the likes.

[@Annisa_Cahya]

At 3:28 why you colouring indonesia as the one that may have ties with wagner group? Someone can point out what battles or war in there?

[@simphiwemkhatshwa6779]

A lot of inaccuracies here.

[@safe-keeper1042]

:reads comments sorted by Newest first: Wow, the Russian trolls really didn't like this one.

[@SeregaBas]

И об этом говорят жители страны США которая гораздо больше плохого натворила чем Россия. Чему они удивляются что соледар разрушен по их мнению если там идёт война значит там всё должно быть в целым?