The ‘Wagner’ mercenary group remained comparatively unknown for years, and only after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, did the general public learn about the existence of this shadowy organization. But for years before that, they roamed free in Africa and the Middle East, fighting Russia’s conflicts, protecting dictators and waging war against anyone who was declared to be the enemy of the Russian government. Many journalists have attempted to uncover Wagner’s secrets but, for the first time, we hear the voice of an actual Wagner commander, who participated in some of the organization’s operations. This is Igor Salikov, former Wagner commander and the most high-ranking Russian service member who testified against the Russian regime and its crimes in Ukraine for the International Criminal Court in Hague. Igor was not just a soldier, but a high ranking commander, which gave him a unique insight into the organization, structure, political goals and operational procedures of Wagner. The author witnessed the birth of the group and their first operations in Syria, which in 2018, saw and the first battle between US forces and Russians since the end of the Cold War. Later, Wagner infiltrated into other countries and was one of main assets of Russian armed forces in the war against Ukraine. In 2022, after the failure of the initial invasion of Ukraine, Wagner’s leader received an order to recruit directly from prisons, and convicted rapists, murderers and cannibals joined what once was a small and elite mercenary unit. In 2023, Wagner mercenaries attempted to organize a coup against Vladimir Putin but turned back at the last moment. Soon after, the leaders of the group were killed in an aircraft crash, and Wagner disappeared from the spotlight. This book allows us to look at this group through the eyes of someone who has been there, done that, and witnessed the entire history of the Wagner organization, from its origins to its ignominious end.
