Nobody can say that he lacks range. A former convict, hot-dog seller, Kremlin caterer, troll farmer, entrepreneur, oligarchAfter the collapse of the Soviet Union, most of the country's economy fell into the hands of corrupt businessmen who became known as oligarchs. , mercenary, warlord, and now a failed rebel leader and exile.

Yevgeny Prigozhin had the world at his fingertips on Saturday. After weeks of veiled threats, passionate anti-Putin diatribesForceful and bitter verbal attacks. and laments about Russia's poor performance in its war in Ukraine, the Wagner Group leader declared an armed rebellion against Russia's leadership in Moscow.

In the early hours of Saturday, surreal images showed Wagner forces pushing into the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, supposedly en route to conquer Moscow. As armoured vehicles trawled the streets and helicopters swarmed in the skies, heavily armed Wagner soldiers were seen dropping into fast food joints for a snack and taking selfies with residents.

It was an unconventional coup in more ways than one. For one, the man behind possibly the most significant challenge to Putin's despoticTyrannical or using unlimited power over others in a cruel way. rule in wartime was a former close ally and friend of the president, handed the monikerA name. "Putin's chef" for his time catering for the Kremlin - though he prefers "Putin's butcher".

But all is fair in love and war. Prigozhin has been openly critical of Russia's defence ministry since September last year, and his private military Wagner Group began its hostile divorce from the Russian army at the start of this year.

But Prigozhin eventually abandoned his insurrectionA violent uprising against a government. at the ninth hour, calling off his soldiers-for-hire and abandoning Rostov-on-Don with aplomb. Nobody knows what prompted this development.

Much remains unclear, but one thing is clearer than ever. The Wagner Group's close relationship with the Kremlin, which Putin has always denied, was always an open secret. But now, after this very public melodrama, pretences at the group's independence have been abandoned.¹

With an estimated 40,000 of its 50,000 army made up of convicts who traded prison for the barracks, the Wagner Group has been accused of human rights and democratic abuses in countries in Africa, the Donbas, Bosnia and Herzegovina and more.

Many believe it was founded in order to give the Kremlin plausible deniabilityThe ability to deny involvement in unethical or illegal activities because there is no solid proof either way. about its covert military interventions in Syria and Ukraine.

The notion that a private military contractor can wield such power over world events is, for some, very sinister. But modern mercenariesProfessional soldiers who are hired to fight in an army. are booming. The largest private military giant, G4S, is the second largest private employer in the world, only surpassed by Walmart.

There are at least 150 military contract companies in the world, mostly hired anonymously to cluster around world conflicts and influence them in one way or another for the profit of a third party country.

What does it mean that we have put war on the market? For some, private military contractors have the same advantages as any other private practice: they can be more efficient, more responsive to changing demands and needs, and can contribute vitally to global intelligence.

But there are valid concerns too. If a hot dog maker can almost launch the 21st Century's most explosive coup, what other hell could private militiaA military force made up of ordinary citizens rather than professional soldiers. wreak? And how can they possibly find a place in the liberal democratic world?

Yes: It is unethical to impose a profit motive on killing, bombing and maiming. Private military companies may be "more efficient", but it will always be in their interests for conflicts to continue so that the money keeps rolling in.

No: We hear little of private armies because they can carry out covert missions and intelligence-gathering, as well as targeted military actions, very efficiently. They are not all as unruly, violent and bloodthirsty as the Wagner Group.

Or... What happened with Prigozhin should serve as a warning to us all that there is a reason that we put elected public figures in charge of our military, and not hot dog-wielding madmen. But at the same time, Russia's despotic leadership created the conditions for Prigozhin to launch his coup - it could not happen in a democracy.