The Russian mercenary/state aligned outfit Wagner emerged from the early days of the war in Ukraine, led by an ex-con turned hot dog salesman turned Putin lapdog. In no time, they were operating in the Middle East and Africa, and Yevgeny Prigozhin's stock as a warlord began to rise. When Russia's full scale invasion started to falter, Wagner started trawling ... Show More
Jul 7
The Last Don: The Godfather Who Turned Rat
In 1992, the New York Mafia is falling apart. The Gambinos are in chaos, the Colombos are at war, the Genoveses are hiding behind Chin Gigante’s bathrobe act, and the Bonannos—the forgotten, disgraced family left for dead after the Donnie Brasco disaster—are waiting on one man: J ... Show More
55m 38s
Jun 30
The Rise of China’s Biggest Mob Boss EVER
Born into a peasant family on the outskirts of Shanghai, Du Yuesheng grew up an inveterate gambler and opium addict. But as he forged alliances in the growing metropolis’ underworld, members of a secret society-turned-cartel saw promise. Before long, ‘Big Ears Du’ was running gam ... Show More
54m 46s
May 2023
Prisoner to would-be president: The rise of Wagner's Yevgeny Prigozhin
The Wagner Group of mercenaries has been fighting in Ukraine since Russia's first invasion in 2014, but very little was known about the group, or its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, until the end of 2022 when he began speaking publicly. As the UK and EU prepare to declare the Wagner Gr ... Show More
20m 21s
Jun 2022
Wagner: Russia's "Shadow Army"
<p>The Wagner Group is sometimes described as a paramilitary group, a private military company, or a loose group of mercenaries working directly for Russian President Vladimir Putin. While you may not have heard of them, they've been active in conflicts across the world, earning ... Show More
47m 43s
Nov 2022
The Wagner Group emerges from the shadows & examining Russia’s defences
Day 258.Today, we discuss the brutal fighting in the centre of Ukraine; analyse the emergence from the shadows of Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenary army, the Wagner group; and Dom Nicholls takes us through the principles of a good defence as the Russian army digs-in, in the Sou ... Show More
53m 12s
Jul 2023
Wagner's revolt: The world takes stock
Russia's once shadowy private military company Wagner hit the headlines around the world when the group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ordered his men to march on Moscow. Although the insurrection was short lived, the impact is felt far and wide. The Global Jigsaw from BBC Monitori ... Show More
27m 24s