men, helped, even as the kremlin feigned ignorance. it was a success and moscow s use of mercenary forces has since grown. analysts say none of this could happen without putin s approval. do you think that part of the mission of wagner is to help russia restore its role to become a major global superpower again? translator: yes. 100%. this is the top priority for wagner. reporter: and so it s trying to be a rival to america? translator: russia is trying to suppress the u.s. in every way possible. using legal and illegal means. it s trying to smash it. get the better of it somehow. what will come of it as a result? nothing good, i think. reporter: but for russian president vladimir putin, wagner is still a worthwhile gamble. an expendable fighting force with no accountability. clarissa ward, cnn, russia. cnn attempted to contact the
reporter: a guard soon comes up to us. is the church only for wagner, i ask? i don t know for whom, he says. for the people who are in syria, i press him? i don t know, i m telling you, he says. i m just guarding here. he begins to get suspicious of our questions and we decide to leave. let s go. reporter: they didn t let us inside, which is not surprising because in that compound is the only tangible, visible proof that wagner is real. no surprise, perhaps, that the monument is funded by a company. it was five years ago in crimea that mysterious unidentified fighters dubbed little green men helped moscow wrest the province from ukraine, even as the kremlin feigned ignorance.
i press him? i don t know, i m telling you, he says, i m just guarding here. he begins to get suspicious of our questions, and we decide to leave. let s go. they didn t let us inside which is not surprising because this that compound is the only tangible visible proof that wagner is real. no surprise, perhaps, that the monument is funded by a preguian owned company. it was five years ago in crimea that fighters dubbed little green men helped moscow rest the province from ukraine as the kremlin feigned ignorance. it was a success and moscow s use of mercenary forces has since grown. analysts say none of this could happen without putin s approval. . do you think that part of the mission of wagner is to help russia restore its role to become a major global superpower