“Margolin, an investigative journalist, tells the full story, offering portraiture and political context and taking us from Leningrad to Moscow, from the killing fields in Syria to the burned-out cities of Ukraine, from the louche underworld of post-Cold War Russia to the upper reaches of the Kremlin. Along the way, he describes the ever-growing role of private military and security companies—so-called PMSCs. It’s a tale of violence and political intrigue that reads like a Tom Clancy novel written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.”

Arthur Herman | The Wall Street Journal

"Most of us learned about the Wagner Group when Russia attacked Ukraine, launching the largest land war in Europe since World War II. They’re mercenaries endorsed by Russia’s autocratic leader Vladimir Putin. They’re a power base. And they marched on Moscow and almost overthrew the government. Investigative researcher Margolin tells its story, from the group’s inception to the fiery death of its leader in a jet plane 'accident.' (In Russia, stay away from windows and private jets.) Critics describe it as riveting and as exciting as any thriller."

Michael Giltz | Parade

"Margolin, an independent researcher and expert on modern mercenaries, provides a deeply reported history of the Wagner private military company."

Financial Times

"Journalist Margolin debuts with a riveting history of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military corporation, and its founder Evgeniy Prigozhin, who was likely assassinated by Russian security services after leading a failed coup attempt in 2022. Margolin traces Wagner from its shadowy origins as a paramilitary unit deployed in Ukraine in 2014 through its metastasis into something bigger and less easily definable. . . . Margolin builds to a fascinating portrait of a modern Russian political sphere governed by symbolism and performance (Prigozhin’s dramatic killing in a private jet explosion was meant as a response to his 'theatrical statements') and a global order in which violence easily permeates civil society by posing as mere business. It’s a vital window onto the weird world of secretive, privatized modern warfare."

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Margolin takes the reader through an extensive array of leaks, first-hand accounts and original documented evidence to reveal the inner workings of Russia’s infamous mercenary army. . . . Margolin demonstrates that Wagner is not an aberration, but a manifestation of the new geopolitical order of global capital, global crime and the entrepreneurs that thrive in it.”

History of War

"Margolin expertly chronicles the evolution of this fledgling outfit."

The Oldie

“As an independent researcher specializing in private contractors and Russian criminal networks, Margolin is well-placed to comment on the Wagner Group. . . . Drawing on the Group’s own leaked documentation, first-hand accounts, and evidence collected over the years by activists and journalists, Margolin pieces together a history of the evolution of Wagner and the political and military implications for Russia and the rest of the world.”

International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence

“Margolin shines a bright light onto the shadowy Wagner mercenary group, at once deeply-researched and as readable as a thriller.”

Mark Galeotti, author of "Putin's Wars"

“With an almost encyclopedic knowledge of all things Wagner, Margolin takes readers deep into the shadowy underworld of the notorious mercenary group. A must read for anyone interested in understanding the history of the 'Orchestra' and its most important 'musicians.'”

Clarissa Ward, CNN Chief International Correspondent and author of "On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist"

“An important book about the world’s most dangerous mercenary outfit. Margolin unearths new details that will surprise readers.”

Sean McFate, National Defense University and author of "The New Rules of War"

“In this gripping and meticulous guide to Russia’s most notorious mercenary group, Margolin charts Wagner’s heady rise and Prigozhin’s calamitous fall with an eye to an international context and the West’s own complicity.”

Jade McGlynn, author of "Russia's War"

“This fascinating history of the Wagner Group (and of the connected but competing group Redut) is filled with details not reported elsewhere, based on the author’s own interviews and extensive research of Russian-language blogs, social media posts, and leaked documents. It will appeal to anyone interested in the criminality, violent military exploits, and political infighting of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.”

Kimberly Marten, Barnard College, Columbia University