Episode description

Wagner is a private military company of mercenaries that has been fighting alongside the regular Russian army in Ukraine. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has for months been involved in a feud with the Russian defence ministry, but he denies trying to overthrow Mr Putin's regime. The short-lived rebellion, which saw Wagner fighters seize a major Russian city before heading north towards Moscow in a column of military vehicles, was a response to government plans to take direct control of Wagner, Prigozhin claims. This week on the Real Story we are focusing on the implications for Russia's military of the mutiny by a man who was once President Putin's caterer.

Shaun Ley is joined by: Catrina Doxsee - From the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Pjotr Sauer - Russian affairs reporter for The Guardian newspaper. Samir Puri - author of Russia’s Road to War with Ukraine: Invasion amidst the ashes of empires. Also featuring: Professor Sergei Markov - Director of the Institute for Political Studies in Moscow.

Produced by: Imogen Wallace, Ellen Otzen, Alex Hacillo & Rumella Dasgupta

(Photo: Armored vehicles and fighters of Wagner on the streets of Rostov-on-Don, Russia; Credit: Arkady Budnitsky/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)