instrument for resolving issues by force. when action has to be taken immediately. urgently. and in the most concealed way possible. i cannot say it s an army in the proper sense of that word. it s just a fighting unit that will do anything that putin says. reporter: this is the first time a former wagner employee has agreed to speak on camera and oleg asked us to disguise his identity. private military contractors are illegal in russia. officially, wagner doesn t exist, but cnn has discovered that the group now has hundreds of fighters operating on three different continents, and this is the man believed to be behind that expansion. dubbed putin s chef because of lucrative catering contracts with the kremlin, yvgeny pregoshin is sanctioned by the u.s. for funding the internet research agency accused of meddling in the 2016 election.