Examines the predecessors to the Wagner Group, its activities in a number of conflicts around the world, and its armed mutiny against the top leadership of the Russian Federation.
The Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) first appeared in Ukraine's Donbas region during the initial Russian intervention in the spring of 2014. Its fighters--lacking national insignia, Russian flags, or unit designations and always concealing their faces in public--presented an unorthodox and ambiguous presence. However, their use of Russian-made arms, equipment, and uniforms left little doubt about Moscow's involvement, reinforcing Wagner's role as a deniable yet effective force in place of poorly trained local militias. Over the following years, Wagner served Moscow's strategic interests by maintaining both ambiguity and control over various local proxies.
While Wagner was not initially involved in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, a series of military setbacks suffered by the Russian Armed Forces (VSRF) led to its redeployment. Following a rapid expansion, Wagner became instrumental in achieving one of the Kremlin's first major military successes of the war--the capture of the heavily fortified town of Popasna in late April and early May 2022. From that point, under the nominal leadership of Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner grew significantly in both manpower and firepower.
The group also played a central role in Project 42174, a large-scale recruitment program that enlisted Russian prison inmates as assault troops. Tens of thousands of these recruits were deployed--nearly 20,000 of whom were killed--during the brutal Battle of Bakhmut, which raged from July 2022 to May 2023. This operation marked Russia's first major military victory in nearly a year and had a lasting impact on the tactics and structure of the VSRF.
Richly illustrated with rare photographs, custom-drawn artwork, and analysis based on captured Russian documents, Wagner Group Private Military Company, Volume 2 provides an in-depth examination of the group's emergence, organization, combat operations, and eventual downfall. Offering a comprehensive study of one of the most significant and controversial private military forces of modern times, this volume is essential reading for those seeking to understand the evolution of Wagner and its role in contemporary warfare.
Besenyo, Janos: - János Besenyő is a professor in Óbuda University (Hungary) and head of the Africa Research Center. Between 1987 and 2018, he worked as a professional soldier and served in several peace operations in Africa and Afghanistan. He received a PhD in military science from Miklós Zrínyi National Defense University and a habilitated doctorate at Eötvös Lórant University. In 2014, he established the Scientific Research Center of the Hungarian Defence Forces General Staff, and was its first leader from 2014 to 2018. His most recent publication is Darfur Peacekeepers: The African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (AMIS) from the Perspective of a Hungarian Military Advisor.
Szénási, Endre: - Lt. Col. (Ret.) Endre Szénási is a retired Field Artillery officer and a former strategic analyst of the Hungarian Ministry of Defence. He served as a professional soldier between 1988 and 2023. Following graduation at Kossuth Lajos Military High School (Hungary, 1989), Field Artillery Officers' Advanced Course in the United States of America, Field Artillery Officers' Staff Course (Hungary) he got his Masters' Degree at the Miklós Zrínyi National Defence University (Hungary) receiving a Security- and Defence Policy Expert's diploma in 2022. Between 1989 and 1995 he served at several Field Artillery units in Hungary as a subunit commander. He served as a professional duty officer in Cyprus at the UNFICYP HQ between 1995 and 1997. He was a senior strategic analyst of the Defence Policy Department of the Hungarian Ministry of Defence between 1997 and 2023, with multiple fields of expertise stretching from post-Soviet policies to global migration, energy security and climate change etc. He retired after 35 years of service as a professional soldier.
Türke, András István: - "András István Türke is director of the Europa Varietas Institute (Switzerland) and senior research fellow of the Africa Research Institute (Óbuda University, Hungary). He is senior expert of the Institute for Strategic Research (IRSEM, French MoD), of the Research Center of the General Staff (Hungarian MoD) and of the Peace Operations Research Network (CÉRIUM-ROP, University of Montréal). Between 2006 and 2011 he worked as visiting fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) as well as at the Assembly of the WEU - Defence Committee. Between 2013 and 2018 he was lecturer at several universities in Hungary. Dr. Türke holds a PhD degree in History of International Relations from the Sorbonne University (Paris III) and received a habilitated doctorate at University of Szeged (Hungary). His most recent publication is the contemporary history of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi (chapters in a book on French-speaking Africa)."
