Ukraine war: What is the Wagner Group of 'secret'
Russian mercenaries?
Sky News explains what we know about the Wagner Group
and its activities in the Ukraine invasion.
By Alexa
Phillips, news reporter
Thursday 31
March 2022 09:53, UK
The Wagner
Group has been described as 'Putin's secret army'
A private
military company with suspected links to the Kremlin is understood to be
prepared to "send large numbers of personnel" into Ukraine to fight
alongside Russian troops, the head of GCHQ has said.
Sir Jeremy
Fleming said Wagner group mercenaries are likely to be used as "cannon
fodder" to try to limit Russian military losses.
The
Ukrainian military previously said there had been clashes near Kyiv with
members of Liga, formerly known as the Wagner Group.
The MoD has
said Russia is expected to deploy more than a thousand mercenaries, including
senior leaders of the Wagner Group, to undertake combat operations in Ukraine.
Sky News
looks at the Wagner Group and why its contractors are believed to be in
Ukraine.
What is the
Wagner Group?
The Wagner
Group is a Russian mercenary organisation.
Sorcha
MacLeod, who heads the UN's working group on the use of mercenaries, told the
Economist that from a legal perspective, Wagner does not exist.
It is a
network of companies and groups rather than a single entity.
The group
is believed to be funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman with close links
to Vladimir Putin who is also alleged to run Russia's "troll farm",
the Internet Research Agency.
Mr
Prigozhin is one of the many oligarchs recently sanctioned by the West in
response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
He has
always denied any connection with Wagner.
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