The Wagner Group is shadowy and illegal, but it has been tracked to Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Mali, and elsewhere. It is known as a deadly fighting force of mercenaries with a goal of furthering Russia’s military interests around the world. One Wagner fighter is now speaking out about what life is like as a soldier for hire.

In this episode: 

• Niko Vorobyov, British and Russian journalist for Al Jazeera
• Marat Gabidullin, Former member of The Wagner Group in Ukraine and Syria

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters with Alexandra Locke and our host Halla Mohieddeen.

It was fact-checked by Ruby Zaman. The production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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