Getting verified information about current affairs in Russia has become increasingly challenging. Media shutdowns and an over-reliance on difficult-to-access sources mean that even experts are struggling to assess exactly what is going on within the country’s borders. Joining us today to discuss the current state of Russia and Vladimir Putin's corporate takeover of the Wagner group is Peter Clement, a senior research scholar and adjunct professor at the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies (SIWPS), former CIA Deputy Director, and expert on Russia and Eurasia. We talk with Peter about the origins of the Wagner Group, their uprising in late June of 2023, and the position that Putin currently finds himself in. In our conversation, Peter elaborates on the historical tension between the Wagner Group and the Ministry of Defense, how Putin tried to capitalize on their divisions, and why this strategy backfired. We also discuss the tangled corporate web that Putin helped create, his options for getting a handle on it, and what Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s role is in all of this. Tune in for expert insights on Putin's Corporate Takeover of the Wagner Group and details on the state of Russian current affairs!
Key Points From This Episode:
•How Peter first developed his interest in Russian history.
•Why it’s so difficult to get accurate information about Russian current affairs.
•The origins of the Wagner Group and what we still don’t know.
•Why it could be argued that the Wagner Group is not a private military company (PMC).
•The close ties that the Wagner Group has to the Russian government.
•An overview of the kind of services provided by the Wagner Group.
•What we know about how the Wagner Group earns money and gets paid.
•Yevgeny Prigozhin and his relationship with Vladimir Putin.
•How Prigozhin earned the nickname “Putin’s chef” and became leader of the Wagner Group.
•The complicated corporate formation of the Wagner Group.
•How the Wagner Group got its name.
•The history of tension between the Wagner Group and the Ministry of Defense.
•Insight into the uprising and why Prigozhin turned on the Kremlin.
•How the illegality of PMCs provides Russia with plausible deniability.
•Putin’s prior success in playing oligarchs and bureaucrats against one another.
•How the Russian government is trying to take control of the Wagner Group.
•An overview of Russia’s deal with Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko.
•Factors preventing Putin from getting rid of Prigozhin and the Wagner Group.
•Why Prigozhin’s statements against the war in Ukraine were so radical.
•How these developments could influence Putin’s decisions going forward.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
‘Putin Met With Mercenary Leaders He Had Called Traitors During Mutiny’