What is Wagner group?

The Wagner Group, officially called PMC Wagner, is a Russian paramilitary organisation that operates beyond the law in Russia.

It is basically a private military company and a network of mercenaries. The group was first identified in 2014 while backing pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.

Till 2014, it was a secretive organisation that was mostly operating in Africa and the Middle East. Media reports at that time stated that the group had about 5,000 fighters from Russia's elite regiments and special forces.

Since then, it has grown considerably.

The private army had always denied involvement in conflicts in Africa and the Middle East.

According to Wagner's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, the group has around 25,000 troops.

Prigozhin last year admitted he had founded the group, recruiting soldiers from Russian prisons in exchange for amnesty.

However, the UK Ministry of Defence said in January estimated that the group has at least 50,000 fighters in Ukraine.

It said the organisation started recruiting in large numbers in 2022 because Russia had trouble finding people for the regular army.

A BBC investigation into the Wagner Group highlighted the believed involvement of a former Russian army officer, Dmitri Utkin. A veteran of Russia's wars in Chechnya, he is thought to have been Wagner's first field commander and to have named the group after his former radio call sign.

Prigozhin, its current head, is a rich businessman nicknamed "Putin's chef" because he provided catering for the Kremlin.

Although mercenary forces are illegal in Russia, the Wagner Group registered as a company in 2022 and opened a new headquarters in St Petersburg.

"It is openly recruiting in Russian cities, on billboards, and is being named in Russian media as a patriotic organisation," says Dr Samuel Ramani, of the Royal United Services Institute think tank.

Western countries and UN experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in Central African Republic, Libya, and Mali.

In eastern Ukraine, the mercenary unit has been spearheading Russia's costly battles. It had been at the forefront of the months-long assault for Bakhmut, capturing the site for Russia, but at huge losses.

The brutal fight also created a rift between the group and the regular military.

Prigozhin railed for months against the regular army's top brass, accusing generals of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters. This month, he defied orders to sign a contract placing his troops under Defence Ministry command.

He launched the apparent mutiny on Friday after alleging that the military had killed many of his fighters in an air strike. The Defence Ministry denied it.

Prigozhin also said Russia's justification for their war in Ukraine was a lie and merely an excuse for Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to promote himself.