Wagner Group Chief Warns of Impending Ukraine Attack and Seeks Kremlin Support.

The Wagner Group, a murky paramilitary network led by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, has taken a very public part in the war in Ukraine. Wagner is filling a specific operational and public relations need for Russia. The group bogged down and attrited Ukrainian forces at a time Russia’s military was in disarray. Wagner’s presence has reshaped the Ukraine conflict, but now that it’s out of the shadows, it may no longer serve Russia’s aims abroad in exactly the same way. Wagner’s evolution offers a blueprint for how Russia exerts its power and influence.