Death Is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare

“Extraordinary.”-CHRIS MILLER, author ofย Chip War

“Incredible.”-ANNIE JACOBSEN, author ofย Nuclear War, via X

From John Lechner, “an amazingly bold reporter” (Adam Hochschild), the shocking inside story of how the Wagner Group made private military companies inextricable from Russia’s anti-Western foreign strategy.

In 2014, a well-trained, mysterious band of mercenaries arrived in Ukraine, part of Russia’s first attempt to claim the country as its own. Upon ceasefire, the โ€œWagner Groupโ€ faded back into shadow, only to reemerge in the Middle East, where they’d go toe-to-toe with the U.S., and in Africa, where they’d earn praise for โ€œtough measuresโ€ against insurgencies yet spark outrage for looting, torture, and civilian deaths. As Russia gained a foothold of influence abroad, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as โ€œPutin’s Chef,โ€ went from caterer to commander to single greatest threat Putin has faced in his over-twenty-year rule.

Dually armed with military and strategic prowess, the Wagner Group created a new market in a vast geopolitical landscape increasingly receptive to the promises of private actors. In this trailblazing account of the Group’s origins and operations, John Lechner-the only journalist to report across its many warzones-brings us on the ground to witness Wagner partner with fragile nation states, score access to natural resources, oust peacekeeping missions, and cash in on conflicts reframed as Kremlin interests. After rebelling, Prigozhin faced an epic demise-but Wagner lives on, its political, business, and military ventures a pillar of Russian operations the world over.

Featuring exclusive interviews with over thirty Wagner Group members,ย Death Is Our Businessย is the terrifying true tale of the renegade militia that proved global instability is nothing if not an opportunity.

Buy It Now!

Editorial Reviews

โ€œGripping and superbly researched, featuring interviews with dozens of Wagner members. It’s remarkable to consider that the couple of hundred years hiatus on mercenary armies is now over, that nation states won’t be the only entities fielding military firms in the decades to come. This is one of those non-fiction books that gives this spy novelist ideas. It’s full of great material.โ€ โ€•David McCloskey, Daily Mail

โ€œAs Lechner writes in this eye-opening exposรฉ, ‘the world is filled with Prigozhins.’ For those who want to know the ugly truth of war fought for rubles-or dollars.โ€ โ€•Kirkus Reviews

โ€œIn this in-depth, beautifully written chronicle and analysis of atrocities, massacres, war crimes, and theft on a scale scarcely to be believed, Lechner illuminates Prigozhin’s Wagner PMC, drawing on his extensive interviews with members, and its trail of devastation across Ukraine, Syria, and Africa. He also delves deeply into the history of Russia, the rise of Vladimir Putin and Prigozhin, and the lesser and greater conflicts across much of the globeโ€ฆAn invaluable look at a very dark dimension in geopolitical affairs.โ€ โ€•Booklist

โ€œExtraordinary. From civil wars in the Central African Republic to the battlefields of eastern Ukraine,ย Death Is Our Businessย provides a deeply researched account of how Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenaries wreaked havoc on multiple continents, accumulating such influence-and such firepower-that they even threatened Vladimir Putin’s hold on power. Essential reading for understanding Russia and modern warfare.โ€ โ€•Chris Miller, New York Times bestselling author of CHIP WAR and PUTINOMICS

โ€œJohn Lechner is an amazingly bold reporter who has been to the key places where the Wagner Group fought, interviewing members, veterans, and victims to deliver a shrewd, granular sense of how Russian mercenary forces operate.โ€ โ€•Adam Hochschild, bestselling author of KING LEOPOLD’S GHOST and AMERICAN MIDNIGHT

Buy It Now!

โ€œGripping . . . A must read for anyone seeking to understand the new realities of Russian warfare and the Kremlin’s growing global influence.
โ€ โ€•Angela Stent, author of PUTIN’S WORLD

โ€œUnearths the brutal truths of the Wagner Group with unparalleled access and precision, exposing the shadowy fusion of profit, power, and violence driving Russia’s global ambitions. A riveting and essential read.โ€ โ€•Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat and author of WE ARE BELLINGCAT

โ€œTerrific! . . . A front row seat to the Kremlin’s war against the West and an essential first look at the future of Great Power Competition.

โ€ โ€•Admiral James Stavridis (ret.), PhD, former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and coauthor of 2034

โ€œA detailed and thorough study for any reader seeking to learn more about the recent history of [mercenary] operations and outlook for the future.

โ€ โ€•Jessica Donati, author of EAGLE DOWN

โ€œA chilling dive into the future of conflict.โ€ โ€•Christopher Miller, Financial Times Chief Ukraine Correspondent and author of THE WAR CAME TO US

โ€œFirst-rate journalism and a penetrating analysis of the Kremlin’s use of deniable military force.โ€ โ€•Mark Galeotti, author of FORGED IN WAR

โ€œCrucial to understanding Wagner’s role, and how the Russian state uses these kinds of organizations.

โ€ โ€•Michael Kofman, Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

โ€œA gripping, unflinching and deeply researched book.โ€ โ€•Jade McGlynn, author of MEMORY MAKERS

Buy It Now!

About the Author

John Lechner is a journalist and an independent researcher and consultant to NGOs and other institutions working in Africa. He holds a master’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University. He speaks Russian, French, Turkish, Georgian, Chechen, Sango, and more. His reporting has been featured in outlets such as the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and the BBC and published in Foreign Policy, Lawfare, and War on the Rocks, among others. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, he lives in Washington, D.C.

Buy It Now!

Book Knowledge
Book Knowledgehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/previews/books-magazines/
Book Knowledge shares books, magazines and other sources that help us grow in our knowledge of conservatism and help us make a difference in our country.

Columns

Pesky 9/11 Conspiracies Remain Without Explanation!

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R) recently appeared in an...

Targeting Military Installations, IP Theft: A Look at Criminal Cases Involving Chinese Students

Trump adminโ€™s pledge to โ€œaggressivelyโ€ revoke visas of Chinese students was made after years of concern over CCP efforts to infiltrate U.S. academia.

Big Tech Liberals are Using AI to Censor Conservatives

The Federal Trade Commission is gathering information to expose how technology platforms have violated the law in censoring Americans.

Unveiled: Gynocratsโ€™ Brave and Stunning Strategy to Woo Back Male Voters

Thereโ€™s nothing โ€” nothing โ€” that drives Democrats more bananas than...

Ship of Fools

A rudderless ship drifts with currents. A freighter with no pilot is stuck at the dock. Rudderless and stuck are perfect ways to describe the Democrat party.

News

Western Pennsylvania Communities Welcome New Steel Partnership, Trumpโ€™s Arrival at Rally

Steel workers and Pittsburgh community are looking forward to Trumpโ€™s rally at U.S. Steel Corpโ€™s Irvin Works, grateful for efforts to bolster local industries.

Barron Trump Didnโ€™t Apply to Harvard, White House Says

First Lady Melania Trump rejected speculation that Barron Trump was denied admission into Harvard, saying he didnโ€™t apply to the Ivy League school.

PCE Inflation Inches Closer to the Federal Reserveโ€™s 2 Percent Target

According to Bureau of Economic Analysis, PCE inflation slowed to 2.1% last month, from 2.3% in March, the lowest reading since September 2024.

Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin to Remove Parole Status of Immigrants From 4 Countries

Supreme Court temporarily stayed lower court decision halting Trump adminโ€™s removal of parole for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

FBIโ€™s Bongino Says Agency Probing COVID-19 Origin Cover-Up as New Strain Drives Cases

FBI is investigating alleged cover-up of origins of COVID-19, agencyโ€™s deputy dir., Dan Bongino, said as a new strain of virus circulates in parts of the world.

SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Crypto Exchange Binance

SEC on May 29 voluntarily dismissed its civil lawsuit against cryptocurrency exchange Binance, following a nearly two-year legal battle.

Intel Agency Employee Charged With Trying to Give Classified Docs to Foreign Government

IT specialist employed by DIA was arrested and charged with attempting to transmit classified info to an officer or agent of a foreign govt, DOJ said.

Fedโ€™s Powell Says Interest Rate Decisions Will Be โ€˜Non-Politicalโ€™ in Meeting With Trump

Fed Res Chair Jerome Powell said decisions on interest rates would remain grounded in economic data and free from political influence.
spot_img

Related Articles