What is the Wagner Group? A look at the mercenary group led by man accused of 'mutiny' in Russia

Long astatine likelihood with Russia's subject leaders successful the warfare successful Ukraine, Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin took his feud to a caller level Friday erstwhile helium leveled accusations that his fighters had been struck and vowing revenge.

The threat, made implicit his authoritative Telegram channel, sparked what appeared to beryllium a situation successful Russia.

The country's information work FSB called connected Prigozhin's ain Wagner Group backstage service to garbage orders and detain him, and it opened a transgression probe for "organizing an equipped rebellion, the authoritative general's bureau said.

Russian Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev connected video from broadcaster RBK called it a stab successful the back, calling it "a coup d'état."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed, and "necessary measures are being taken," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Called by Russia a "private subject company" the Wagner Group is called a proxy unit by U.S. officials and others, portion others statement it a mercenary group.

It was founded successful 2014, and is owned by Prigozhin, a 61-year-old who has been antecedently known arsenic "Putin's chef" for catering authorities events with his catering business.

In December, the U.S. believed that the Wagner Group had an estimated 50,000 unit wrong Ukraine — astir 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts from Russian prisons, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.

Russia has denied the engagement of the Wagner Group successful its authoritative subject operations, but the Washington deliberation tank Center for Strategic and International Studies says it is often straight connected to the Russian state. It played a relation successful Russia's operations successful Ukraine successful 2014 and 2015, it said.

"Instead of utilizing the Russian narrative, according to which Wagner is simply a backstage subject company, Wagner should beryllium viewed arsenic a classical proxy organization," it said.

The Wagner Group has besides been progressive successful different parts of the world, including Africa.

The Wagner Group has operated successful the civilian struggle successful Libya, and Russia sent it subject instrumentality including combatant craft and armored vehicles, truthful that Russia could get a foothold successful the country, the U.S. Department of Defense said successful 2020.

Wagner Group was besides sent to Central African Republic successful its civilian war, wherever the group was accused of executing civilians, attacking U.N. peacekeepers and targeting predominantly Muslim communities.

Senior Western diplomats person said that the Wagner Group took power of a golden mine there. Human Rights Watch said successful a report that suspected Wagner Group forces person committed atrocities, including executing unarmed men.

The U.S. successful January designated the Wagner Group a transnational transgression organization. In Africa, it destabilized countries committed "widespread quality rights abuses and extorting earthy resources from their people," the U.S. Treasury Department said past in imposing sanctions.

The warfare successful Ukraine has helped the Wagner Group grow successful influence, Kirby, the U.S. National Security Council spokesman, has said.

"His power is expanding. Wagner's independency from the Russian Defense Ministry has, is lone accrued and elevated implicit the people of the 10 months of this war," Kirby said astatine the December briefing.

The Russian subject has been relying connected Wagner fighters successful Ukraine, and successful immoderate cases, Russia's subject officials person been subordinate to the commands of the Wagner Group, helium said.

Prigozhin has accused Russia's subject enactment of incompetence in Ukraine, but connected Friday helium publically accused Russia's subject enactment of striking his forces. He claimed determination was a rocket onslaught astatine its rear camps.

Prigozhin said, without providing evidence, that Russia's subject enactment was liable for the deaths of 2,000 fighters.

"Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of galore tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, volition beryllium punished. I inquire that nary 1 connection resistance," Prigozhin said successful a bid of audio messages connected his authoritative Telegram channel.

Russia's FSB information work responded by starting a transgression lawsuit against him for what it said was a telephone for an equipped rebellion.

The FSB said that "his actions are a 'stab successful the back' of Russian servicemen" and called connected Wagner fighters to garbage orders and instrumentality Prigozhin into custody. Russia denies Prigozhin's claims.

Security was accrued successful Moscow, Russian authorities quality bureau TASS reported, and video distributed by the Reuters quality bureau showed subject vehicles adjacent Russia's Parliament aboriginal Saturday section time.

Prigozhin denied it was an equipped rebellion, but called it "a march of justice."

He claimed that his forces entered Russia, and that "Right present we are entering Rostov," referring to a metropolis successful the southbound of Russia.