meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Today, Explained

Russia’s mercenary army

Today, Explained

Vox

Politics, Daily News, News

4.310.3K Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2022

⏱️ 25 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Wagner Group, a superviolent (and supersecretive) team of Kremlin-aligned mercenaries, is doing Vladimir Putin’s dirty work in Ukraine and around the world. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, engineered by Paul Mounsey, and edited by Matt Collette (who also did the fact-check) and Noel King (who also hosted). Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained   Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

It's today explained I'm Noelle King.

0:02.8

Remember the day Russia invaded Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky held a press conference?

0:08.2

There was a rumor he'd fled Ukraine.

0:10.6

Not true, he said.

0:11.6

I'm here, my kids are here.

0:17.6

Then he said this, the enemy has marked me as target number one, my family as target

0:24.0

number two.

0:25.0

Now this raised a question that has gone mostly unanswered.

0:27.9

Who exactly was trying to kill Volodymyr Zelensky?

0:30.8

We know who is rumored to be attempting to assassinate him.

0:35.2

We do.

0:36.2

We know that early on at the start of the invasion of Ukraine, there was talk that a group

0:43.9

of Russian mercenaries known as the Wagner group had been assigned to take him out and

0:49.0

to take out others in his government in Kiev.

0:52.3

Coming up a mercenary force more dangerous than the Russian army and a woman who has spent

0:57.6

years tracking them.

0:59.6

The best gift I've ever received has to be a bike when I was younger, a pedal bike.

1:06.4

It was a sort of slick little road bike and I remember it was all like, it was all wrapped

1:11.7

up, it was so obvious what it was obviously because nothing shaped like a bike and had

1:14.9

a little ribbon on it and I was so gas.

1:16.8

For that was a life changer and I'm still sort of big on cycling around my area now

1:20.8

so for that one change me a little.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vox, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vox and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.