In 2018, US-backed forces in Syria annihilated a Russian platoon of mercenaries, killing hundreds after the Kremlin-supported private army tried to take an American position in Deir al-Zour. The Russian government denied knowledge of the shadowy group, which has been spotted sowing discord in Ukraine, Libya, and the Central African Republic, among other countries.

So who are these people? And where exactly are they operating? Michael Weiss joined Dany and Marc to shed some light on the role of private military companies in Russia and explain how quasi-government organizations such as the Wagner Group are executing Putin’s strategic imperatives worldwide.

Michael Weiss is a columnist at The Daily Beast and an investigative journalist who has covered the wars in Syria and Ukraine and published widely on Russian espionage and disinformation. He is the author of the New York Times Best Seller ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror and is a regular guest on CNN, MSNBC, the BBC, and Real Time with Bill Maher.