The Rest Is Classified — Episode 101: Putin's Secret Army: Wagner's Control Of Africa (Ep 4)

Podcast Date: November 19, 2025
Hosts: David McCloskey (former CIA analyst turned spy novelist) and Gordon Corera (veteran security correspondent)

Overview

In this gripping episode, David McCloskey and Gordon Corera dissect the Wagner Group’s covert operations across Africa, analyzing how its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, shifted from “Putin’s chef” to globe-trotting warlord with a unique business model. The hosts explore the business, politics, and violence behind Wagner’s rise, its impact on African conflicts, and its ties to the Kremlin—posing hard questions about private military contractors, deniability, and modern Russian imperial ambition.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wagner’s African Expansion: The Business Model

• Introduction via Film Reference

  • The episode opens with McCloskey reading a (translated) promo for the Prigozhin-financed film The Tourist—a Wagner PR vehicle depicting Russian “instructors” fighting in Central African Republic.

  “[Prigozhin] has gone from caterer… and he is now also financing films. Blending… the mercenary warlord with the PR guru.” (David McCloskey, 03:29)

• Prigozhin’s Transformation

  • Traces Prigozhin’s evolution: caterer → government contractor → PR strategist → mercenary warlord → film financier.
  • Emphasizes outlandish disguises used by Prigozhin on trips to Africa—wigs, beards, sunglasses—mocked as “Sacha Baron Cohen in The Dictator.”

    “If you're gonna watch this on YouTube...look at some of the pictures of Prigozhin's disguises … they're kind of wild.” (Gordon Corera, 06:01)

• Exporting the “Wagner Business Model”

  • Wagner combines Russian military support with a private-enterprise profit motive: “You get a private army… and all you have to give us in return is a cut, little concession.” (Gordon Corera, 08:47)
  • Payment is often in the form of mineral concessions (diamonds, gold) rather than direct cash.

2. Wagner’s Role: Modern Colonialism & Kremlin Strategy

• Resource Extraction as Neocolonialism

  • Corera draws parallels between Wagner and the British East India Company—resource extraction and private armies fueling empire.
  • Governments receive protection; Wagner secures resources, often operating “by dirtier rules than many other Western governments.”

• Overlap & Denial: Kremlin–Wagner Relationship

  • Wagner advances Russian interests while remaining technically “deniable.”

  “He’s doing it for himself. And it’s useful for the Kremlin.” (David McCloskey, 10:33)

• Prigozhin leverages both state and personal gain, keeping the operation lucrative and useful for Putin.

3. Case Studies in African Operations

• Central African Republic (CAR):

  • Wagner extracts gold and diamonds, secures the regime, and negotiates between warring militias for its own benefit.
  • Journalists investigating Wagner’s activities are ambushed and killed, signaling willingness to protect business “by any means.” (12:22)

• Sudan:

  • Deals for gold with President Omar al-Bashir; Wagner adapts to power shifts, offering services to whoever is in control.

  “They don’t really care who they work for… they’re not super loyal… to the particular leader who’s employed them.” (Gordon Corera, 13:17)

  • Massive shipments of gold reportedly flow directly to Russian-controlled bases.

• Libya:

  • Wagner supports Russian-aligned General Haftar; officially present only as a “caterer,” alongside high-level Russian officials (15:29).

• Mozambique & Mali:

  • In Mozambique, Wagner “wins the deal” over other mercenary companies (including Erik Prince's Blackwater), but falters in the face of a strong insurgency.
  • In Mali, Wagner replaces French military presence, accused of involvement in civilian massacres and “dirty work” under the guise of training.

4. The Mercenary Marketplace

• Discussion of the blurred lines between “mercenaries” and “government contractors.”

  “Is it different?... It’s a narrower one than we probably like to think.” (David McCloskey, 18:26)

• Wagner is presented as simultaneously CEO, startup disruptor, and warlord, often a step ahead of both state-controlled rivals and international scrutiny.

5. Wagner’s Full-Spectrum Services

• Not just guns-for-hire: Wagner also provides information warfare, political propaganda, disinformation campaigns, and high-level security services for clients.

“One of the things…was the fusion of security work and information warfare…That's also what he's offering...a whole package.” (Gordon Corera, 20:56)

• “You can imagine when Prigozhin goes to see one of these presidents in his wig… ‘I’ll give you troops…propaganda, bodyguards, counter surveillance…’” (Gordon Corera, 21:12)

6. Brand-Building, PR, and Overreach

• Wagner markets itself aggressively (including English-language “join Wagner” websites targeting far-right adventurers), but the legend often outpaces the reality.

  “It is in this period where the Wagner brand… starts to get out in front of the reality of how effective or influential it is on the ground.” (David McCloskey, 31:15)

• Prigozhin finances action movies (“The Tourist”), stages his own PR campaign, and even sues journalists investigating his activities.

7. Kremlin Control and Wagner’s Limits

• Despite Wagner’s importance, Prigozhin remains on the edge of legality and favor in Moscow—never quite part of the inner circle.

• Kremlin and Ministry of Defence foster competing private armies (e.g., Redout/Redoubt) to keep Wagner from becoming too powerful, reflecting Putin’s style of balancing rivals.

  “Don’t let anyone get too powerful, always have alternatives, play them off against each other…” (Gordon Corera, 35:24)

• The hosts liken Wagner’s trajectory to Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” and Michael Corleone’s reluctant transition to a crime boss.

  “There’s an element of him which wants to go legit. He’s Michael Corleone in Godfather Part 3… but…his thing is being an international mercenary warlord.” (Gordon Corera, 29:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Wagner’s pitch to African rulers:

  "Just give us 25% of the gold. And in return, if you're a leader, you get a private army… [who’ll] play by dirtier rules than many other Western governments." (Gordon Corera, 08:49)

• On mercenary “branding”:

  “Death is our business and business is good.” (David McCloskey, 25:15)

• On legal ambiguity as a Kremlin strategy:

  “You make sure that there’s a legal sword sort of hanging over him… so that you have leverage.” (David McCloskey, 29:04)

• On PR and reality:

  “We keep calling him a mercenary warlord...But he’s also a CEO...a very stretched CEO.” (David McCloskey, 30:21)

• On PR failings:

  “Even despite the PR machine, you put your full PR machine into it and it gets 5.3 out of IMDb. That’s not great.” (Gordon Corera, 32:59)

• On Putin’s ‘court’ and balancing acts:

  “His trick is never let anyone get too powerful, always have alternatives, play them off against each other, be insecure.” (Gordon Corera, 35:24)

• On Prigozhin’s ambitions:

  “He has aspirations for himself that go beyond just being staff.” (David McCloskey, 38:10)

Important Timestamps

• 02:47: Introduction; The Tourist film promo as Wagner PR.
• 06:01–07:10: Discussion of Prigozhin's disguises in Africa—mocked for “high comedy.”
• 08:18–10:36: The “business model”—security-for-resources and Russian state overlap.
• 12:22: Killing of Russian journalists in CAR investigating Wagner.
• 13:17: Wagner’s adaptability: support for Sudanese regime shifts.
• 15:31: Prigozhin’s visible presence at high-level meetings in Libya.
• 16:26–17:49: The competitive “mercenary market” in Mozambique; Erik Prince noted as a rival.
• 18:11–18:32: Blurred lines between mercenaries and Western government contractors.
• 19:28–21:10: Wagner’s alleged massacres; the “full package” of military and propaganda services.
• 25:15: Wagner’s informal motto: “Death is our business…”
• 29:12: Prigozhin compared to Michael Corleone—unable to "go legit."
• 31:15: Wagner’s legend overtakes its real-world effectiveness.
• 32:26–33:09: PR through film; review of “The Tourist” and Wagner-themed cinematic propaganda.
• 34:36: Prigozhin sues journalists; use of “dark arts” legal tactics.
• 35:24: Kremlin’s tactics to weaken Wagner’s dominance via competition.
• 37:12–38:10: Indications of Prigozhin’s frustration as he’s edged out of the Kremlin inner circle.
• 38:46: Tease for the next episode: Wagner and the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Summary Conclusion

This episode offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the Wagner Group’s African escapades—where mercenary economics, Kremlin politics, and criminality blur into one. McCloskey and Corera’s blend of dark humor, historical analogy, and investigative detail emphasizes Wagner’s outsized myth, ruthless methods, and the limits of deniable power. As the Kremlin leverages mercenary muscle for global influence, Prigozhin’s ambitions—and volatility—hint at a coming reckoning, setting the stage for episode 5: Wagner’s role in Ukraine and its ultimate consequences.

For listeners seeking to understand the Wagner phenomenon, this episode is an essential primer on how “deniable” warfare and profit motives collide in modern geopolitics—shaping the fate of nations from Moscow to the Sahel.