{"product_id":"9781639733361","title":"Death Is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare","description":"Author: Lechner, John\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781639733361\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Bloomsbury\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 29 Jul 2025\u003cbr\u003ePages: 288 Format: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Extraordinary.\"   CHRIS MILLER, author of \u003ci\u003eChip War\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Incredible.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e   ANNIE JACOBSEN, author of \u003ci\u003eNuclear War\u003c\/i\u003e, via X\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom John Lechner, \"an amazingly bold reporter\" (Adam Hochschild), the shocking inside story of how the Wagner Group made private military companies inextricable from Russia's anti-Western foreign strategy. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In 2014, a well-trained, mysterious band of mercenaries arrived in Ukraine, part of Russia's first attempt to claim the country as its own. Upon ceasefire, the \"Wagner Group\" faded back into shadow, only to reemerge in the Middle East, where they'd go toe-to-toe with the U.S., and in Africa, where they'd earn praise for \"tough measures\" against insurgencies yet spark outrage for looting, torture, and civilian deaths. As Russia gained a foothold of influence abroad, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as \"Putin's Chef,\" went from caterer to commander to single greatest threat Putin has faced in his over-twenty-year rule.\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDually armed with military and strategic prowess, the Wagner Group created a new market in a vast geopolitical landscape increasingly receptive to the promises of private actors. In this trailblazing account of the Group's origins and operations, John Lechner   the only journalist to report across its many warzones   brings us on the ground to witness Wagner partner with fragile nation states, score access to natural resources, oust peacekeeping missions, and cash in on conflicts reframed as Kremlin interests. After rebelling, Prigozhin faced an epic demise   but Wagner lives on, its political, business, and military ventures a pillar of Russian operations the world over.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFeaturing exclusive interviews with over thirty Wagner Group members, \u003ci\u003eDeath Is Our Business \u003c\/i\u003eis the terrifying true tale of the renegade militia that proved global instability is nothing if not an opportunity. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46655881445534,"sku":"UBD-9781639733361","price":49.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781639733361.jpg?v=1774836271","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781639733361","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}