The Wagner Group Back Office

This visualization unveils the hidden structure of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group as of June 2018.

The network is based on a leaked internal phone directory containing 505 entries corresponding to 469 unique entities. These entities were organized across multiple departments within the Wagner Group, providing a bird’s-eye view of the organization’s structure.

Data is presented as it appeared in the original directory.

If an individual was listed under a nickname or alias, that identifier has been retained in the visualization.

Links between nodes indicate operational relationships.

A link is created when one contact lists another as a backup, suggesting they work closely together or coordinate operations. This structure reveals the interconnections and hierarchies within the organization.

Key Sectors

Analysis of C4ADS data holdings on Evro Polis and subsidiary companies, including leaked data, reveals the intricate structure of the Wagner Group’s operations. At the heart of this network is the St. Petersburg hub, encompassing five key sectors: the St. Petersburg Office, Security Service, Lakhta Media, Economists and Accounting, and Combat Group Administrators. These sectors formed the operational core of the Wagner Group, with the St. Petersburg Office serving as the central nexus.

The visualization reveals how the organization’s paramilitary activities were coordinated across different regions. Syria, identified by the internal codename “Sands,” remained the most personnel-intensive area of operations as of mid-2018. Other significant sectors include the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Madagascar, reflecting the Wagner Group’s expansion into Africa.

Key figures in this network include Andrey “Gray-Haired” Troshev, the director of the Wagner Group, whose node forms the nexus where multiple sectors converge. Dmitry Utkin, the titular commander, is also present, though less central than one might expect.

Some sectors, like Construction and Military Catering, appear isolated from the rest of the network. This compartmentalization reflects the group’s strategy of separating its public-facing, legitimate businesses from its covert operations.

This network map offers unprecedented insight into the Wagner Group’s behind-the-scenes activities, revealing not just its structure but the informal, person-to-person ties that made the organization function. It is a snapshot of an agile, adaptable organization at a pivotal moment in its global expansion.