[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022ds-1col clearfix\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n  \n  \u003Cp\u003EMedia sources regularly reported on Wagner\u2019s ruthless military campaigns throughout the world and its connection to the Kremlin. Other sources detailed the Russian state\u2019s reliance on Wagner to carry out proxy wars throughout the world. According to Jen Kirby of Vox, Russia relied on Wagner to do its \u201cbidding around the world in places where it did not want to openly commit troops or resources, where it could operate in a kind of gray zone. That granted Moscow a degree of plausible deniability as it exerted its influence and interest in other corners of the globe.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJen Kirby, \u201cThe Wagner Group, Russia\u2019s maybe-private army in Ukraine, explained,\u201d Vox, March 21, 2023, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.vox.com\/world-politics\/2023\/3\/21\/23622615\/ukraine-war-bakhmut-wagner-group-russia\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.vox.com\/world-politics\/2023\/3\/21\/23622615\/ukraine-war-bakhmut-wagner-group-russia\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Furthermore, Yaroslav Trofimov at the \u003Cem\u003EWall Street Journal\u003C\/em\u003E interviewed a former deputy chief of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), who asserted that Wagner is Russia\u2019s only \u201ccombat unit that does [storming and breakthroughs] without asking any questions\u2014even if it takes losses of 10% to 15% after every mission.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EYarosolav Trofimov, \u201cWagner Mercenaries Enter the Spotlight as Russian Troops Struggle in Ukraine,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EWall Street Journal\u003C\/em\u003E, August 18, 2022, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/wagner-mercenaries-enter-the-spotlight-as-russian-troops-struggle-in-ukraine-11660826515\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/wagner-mercenaries-enter-the-spotlight-as-russian-troops-struggle-in-ukraine-11660826515\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Western portrayals have characterized Russia as seeing Wagner recruits as disposable. Wagner\u2019s treatment of fighters recruited from prison has been particularly merciless. The Voice of America confirmed with U.S. National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby, that \u201c90% of their casualties [at the frontlines of Ukraine] are convicts.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EIgor Tsikhanenka, \u201cWagner Group\u2019s Use of Convicts in Ukraine Echoes Stalinist Tactics,\u201d Voice of America, January 24, 2023, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/wagner-group-s-use-of-convicts-in-ukraine-echoes-stalinist-tactics\/6932903.html\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/wagner-group-s-use-of-convicts-in-ukraine-echoes-stalinist-tactics\/6932903.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u0026gt;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESince the Russian Ministry of Defense\u2019s absorption of the Wagner Group, media sources continue to follow the movements of the now-named Expeditionary Corps and Volunteer Corps. According to Voice of America, Putin claims Russia is not attempting to spread its influence across the continent but is rather filling a void left by France.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EHenry Ridgwell, Putin Denies Strategy to Spread Influence in Africa After Wagner \u2018Rebrand,\u2019\u201d Voice of America, March 14, 2024, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/putin-denies-strategy-to-spread-influence-in-africa-after-wagner-rebrand\/7527948.html\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/putin-denies-strategy-to-spread-influence-in-africa-after-wagner-rebrand\/7527948.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E Despite the formalization of Russian military presence across Africa, media sources report that Russian forces continue to employ an unprofessional and violent approach in their missions. Acts of indiscriminate violence have not subsided, and according to the Associated Press and the Africa Defense Forum, the Africa Corps has been supporting government forces in carrying out raids that kill dozens of civilians across the Sahel, with ethnic minorities often being targeted.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJessica Donati, \u201cIn Mali, Russian Wagner mercenaries are helping the army kill civilians, rights groups say,\u201d Associated Press, March 28, 2024, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/mali-drone-strikes-insurgent-wagner-rights-796f5246c4d0d8e436eb1ea83f9212bf\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/mali-drone-strikes-insurgent-wagner-rights-796f5246c4d0d8e436eb1ea83f9212bf\u003C\/a\u003E; \u201cRussian Mercenaries Take Aim at Ethnic Minorities in Mali,\u201d Africa Defense Forum, March 19, 2024, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/adf-magazine.com\/2024\/03\/russian-mercenaries-take-aim-at-ethnic-minorities-in-mali\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/adf-magazine.com\/2024\/03\/russian-mercenaries-take-aim-at-ethnic-minorities-in-mali\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Although the Wagner Group was fully disbanded in November 2023, media sources have referred to the Wagner Group and the Expeditionary Corps and Volunteers Corps as being synonymous despite the Wagner Group being a anachronistic label.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n","dialogOptions":{"minWidth":850,"resizable":true,"modal":true,"title":"Western Media Portrayal of the Wagner Group and its Connections to the Kremlin"}},{"command":"doFootnotes"}]