March 09, 2023

The Wizard and His Little Wagners


The Wizard and His Little Wagners
At the inauguration event of the Wagner Group's new youth organization. Meduza, Instagram.

The Russian paramilitary mercenary organization Wagner Group hosted an event in St. Petersburg to inaugurate its youth club, "Wagnerenyok" (Little Wagner).

Law student Alexander Tronin, a former member of the youth parliament in St. Petersburg, runs the club. Tronin's involvement began when he was kicked out of the far-right Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. After the incident, representatives of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin recruited Tronin to run their youth organization.

The youth group began its work in late January. Wagnereniok aims to recruit teens and connect them to prominent Wagner Group members, the military, and high-ranking government officials, including famous former spy Maria Butina.

Wagnereniok's VKontakte page states: "The Youth Club implements various activities and everyone can find something to their liking. Starting from military-patriotic training and volunteering, ending with a political club and debates." Participants can submit projects for funding as "patriotic projects." Wagner has previously hosted a youth hackathon meant to improve military drones. To be considered for admission, new members must contact the group on social media, bring their passports, and provide two photos and an autobiography.

The press event was presided over by Victor Shmarkovsky, a former special forces agent who reportedly puzzled the audience with claims that he uses hypnosis to recruit participants. When an attendee prompted him, the former agent said he "radiates delta waves." According to Schmarkovsky, his brain is tolerant to any blow because of an accumulation of fluid formed in a particular zone. Shmarkovsky proceeded to call himself the "child of the first atomic bomb."

You Might Also Like

Notes at the Front

Notes at the Front

Musicians have not been spared from the criminalization of protest and expression. We also share Ilya Yashin's final words.
Not That Way
  • February 26, 2023

Not That Way

Vladimir Putin revoked a 2012 decree aimed at economic integration with the EU and supporting Moldovan sovereignty.
Another Political Prisoner
  • February 20, 2023

Another Political Prisoner

A court in Barnaul sentenced an independent Russian journalist for "fake news" about the Russian army.
Bye-Bye, YouTube?
  • February 23, 2023

Bye-Bye, YouTube?

The news outlet Meduza has suggested that it is likely the Russian government will block YouTube in the near future.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955