Zombie Waves and Proxy Pawns: Russia’s Ruthless Warfare Calculus in Ukraine



The sudden reemergence of Wagner’s elite unit under the command of Pavel Prigozhin, following the mysterious death of his father Yevgeny, adds a new twist to Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, long considered the puppet master of Wagner’s activities, seemingly challenged the Kremlin’s top brass before his untimely death. His “March of Justice” on Moscow and subsequent plane crash has left many unanswered questions. Now, as his son takes the reins, the shift points to a more complex, perhaps even fractious, relationship between the Kremlin and this shadowy mercenary group.

In military terms, Wagner’s reentry into the Ukrainian theatre signals a qualitative change. Despite President Putin’s claims that the Wagner Group “does not exist,” his meeting with Andrey Troshev, a former commander of the group, and the Kremlin’s discussion about forming “volunteer units” belies the facade. Russia seems more intent than ever on utilizing these paramilitary forces for “various combat tasks,” possibly as a means to keep official Russian military involvement at arm’s length while conducting operations that demand plausible deniability.

The Wagner group’s previous operations in Bakhmut seemed to diverge from what one would expect from a regular army, possibly providing a tactical laboratory for new modes of warfare. Their presence, now more aligned with the Kremlin’s objectives, could be a game-changer in the struggle for control of strategic points like Avdiivka, which holds a key position in eastern Donbas.