Head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has plenty of power and money, though lacks the authority to be considered as a future statesman. But his strategy of high media and social media visibility has created a very personal brand of power that may protect him in the long run.
The Italian Defense minister has blamed an uptick in illegal immigrant arrivals in Italy on the Russian mercenary group, which has a strong presence in Africa, with the risk that it could divide the Western alliance. Wagner chief Prigozhin is having none of it.