Wagner Group

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out where the Wagner Group – that impressively armed mercenary organization founded, financed and led by billionaire thug Yevgeny Prigozhin and who were messing around in Ukraine for the bidding of Russian president Vladimir Putin – got its name.

"Wagner" certainly isn't Russian. But, when pronounced "Vahg-ner", it sounds more like German. Which is odd because there is a bitter history between Russians and Germans. Check World War II for reference.

I was confused, which happens often when I parse my way through world events. I am just a humble retired sports writer, after all. Figuring out earned run averages is hard enough.

A quick Google search said the origin of the name "Wagner" for the group is unknown, but it also suggested that others refer to Dmitri Utkin, a Lt. Col. in the early years of the group. Utkin used the call sign "Wagner" because he had an appreciation of German composer Richard Wagner. Interestingly enough, Adolf Hitler also had an appreciation for Wagner. And Utkin, apparently, has a passion for the Third Reich. Hmm.

Consequently, Utkin is believed to be a neo-Nazi and, as The Economist reports, he has several Nazi tattoos.

Nazis and Russians. In concert. Hohhh-kay. Wagner it is.

This is already getting more complicated than I intended, but apparently, there are reportedly some neo-Nazi units within the Wagner Group, which might help explain some of the atrocities we've seen on the Ukraine battlefield. But the UN University Center for Policy Research said the Wagner Group is not ideologically motivated (un-huh), but is rather a "network of mercenaries linked to the Russian state." Russia, laughably, denies this and said officially the Wagner Group doesn't exist.

Well, the group that doesn't exist turned on Putin yesterday and began a march on Moscow, setting into motion any number of potential outcomes. A rebellion in the works.

As an amateur military historian, the whole thing seemed really, really bizarre to me. The Wagner Group is marching down a highway, vulnerable to air attack (recall the Highway of Death in the Iraq war when US aircraft obliterated 2,700 Iraqi vehicles that were in the process of retreating), when suddenly a deal is struck between Putin and Prigozhin. The march stops. Prigozhin gets to live (for a little while, at least. Stay tuned).

Meanwhile, what of the Wagner Group, Putin's hirelings who were actually outperforming the Russian army on the Ukraine battlefield?

Ukraine is said to be starting a counteroffensive in an effort to push the Russians off Ukrainian soil. Without the Wagner Group in the field (essentially the equivalent of a corps, totaling between 20,000 to 40,000 men, many of them former prisoners who were recruited and released to fight Ukrainians. Some of them are said to be pedophiles and sex offenders, much less murderers, which might further explain some of the atrocities on the field) it could be beneficial for Ukraine and the cause for democracy. That, of course, remains to be seen.

A lot, in fact, remains to be seen. Putin has become weaker, allowing a group of rebels to advance within 120 miles of the capital. What does that say for Russian military intelligence? His manufactured war against Ukraine is already in shambles, overextending his military, which in turn has resulted in a stronger NATO alliance.

This could be revolutionary stuff.