On the podcast this week, we look at the Wagner Group, the shadowy paramilitary organisation, and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Wagner has been active on the ground and involved in some of the conflict’s fiercest battles, notably around Bakhmut. We discuss the group’s relationship with the Russian armed forces, its ties with the Kremlin and the increasingly tense relationship Prigozhin seems to have with senior Russian leaders.

Also on the show we discuss the latest developments from the frontline in Ukraine. With Kyiv’s counter-offensive seemingly imminent, the world woke up to news this week that the Nova Kakhovka dam along the Dnipro River had been destroyed by Russia. We discuss the impact of this ecological disaster on Ukraine, as well as the recent fighting in Belgorod, the drone attacks in Moscow and whether these are all key signs that Kyiv may be about to go on the offensive.

Joining guest host James Nixey on the show this week to discuss all these topics are Patricia Lewis is the Director of our International Security programme; journalist Samantha de Bendern, an Associated Fellow with our Russia and Eurasia programme and Ed Arnold, a Research Fellow for European Security from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Read our expertise:

Imagining Russia’s future after Putin

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Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by John Pollock. Sound by Abdul Boudiaf and Alex Moyler.