The Wagner Group

Subject : International Relations

Section: Msc

Concept :

The Wagner Group has taken control of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership.

Russian city of Rostov-on-Don

Rostov-on-Don is the largest city in southwestern Russia, home to a million people, and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia.
This region borders eastern Ukraine where the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has been raging.
The city itself is approximately just 100 km away from the border and is located along the main route between the border with Ukraine’s Donbas region and Moscow, around 1,100 km further to the north.
Consequently, it is a crucial command and logistical hub for the Russian army, housing the headquarters of the Russian Southern Military District, whose 58th Combined Arms Army is engaged in operations against Kyiv’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, as per DW.
Furthermore, Rostov is also the home base for the command centre of the Russian Joint Group of Forces in Ukraine as a whole.

About the Wagner Group

The mercenary organisation was first identified in 2014, during Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
It’s essentially a network of contractors that supply soldiers for hire and the group got registered as a company in 2022.
Headquarters: St Petersburg.
Initially, the Wagner Group remained mostly secretive and consisted of just 5,000 fighters, active particularly in Africa and West Asia.
It expanded to comprise 50,000 fighters just in Ukraine.
Countries where the Wagner Group has been active
- Ukraine
- Syria
- Sudan
- Central African Republic
- Mozambique
- Mali
- Burkina Faso
- Libya