In the days since the Wagner Group abandoned its march on Moscow on June 24th, speculation has grown about what will become of Russia’s notorious paramilitary company and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Amid reports of President Vladimir Putin poking around Wagner’s assets and troop deployments, and with the status and whereabouts of Mr Prigozhin himself cloaked in mystery, the future of the group—and its extensive business empire—is unclear.

What is clear is that Wagner has been one of Russia’s most successful foreign-policy initiatives during the past decade. The group has allowed Russia to expand its influence into unstable states, particularly in Africa, advancing its economic interests, often through violent means. Wagner’s perceived instability at the moment offers America and the broader international community an unprecedented opportunity to counter Russia’s use of this atrocity- and corruption-fuelled force abroad.

Read more at: economist.com;

Photo: economist.com,  dan williams;