From Newsweek
Who Are the Wagner Group? Putin's Private Army Fighting In Ukraine
The Wagner Group—an elite paramilitary force that has been linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin—is now being sent to Eastern Ukraine, according to an intelligence update by the British Ministry of Defense on Monday.
"Russian forces are continuing to consolidate and reorganise as they refocus their offensive into the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine," the update said.
"Russian troops, including mercenaries from the Russia state-linked Wagner private military company, are being moved into the area."
Band of Brothers: The Wagner Group and the Russian State From CSIS [Centre for Strategic and International studies]
The Russian private military company Wagner Group may appear to be a conventional business company. However, its management and operations are deeply intertwined with the Russian military and intelligence community. The Russian government has found Wagner and other private military companies to be useful as a way to extend its influence overseas without the visibility and intrusiveness of state military forces. As a result, Wagner should be considered a proxy organization of the Russian state rather than a private company selling services on the open market.1
It has been far too long that Private Military Companies {PMC} have been allowed to do various Government's dirty work for them, State sponsored terrorists if you prefer.
Personally, I would group them with alongside the Islamic State and its affiliates.
Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries will cause ‘mayhem’ trying to kill Ukraine’s President Zelensky in Kyiv
Putin of course denies any links to them
Mali: Putin says Russia has no ties with Wagner Group
President Vladimir Putin of Russia, on Tuesday, dissociated his country from Russian military contractors, Wagner Group, operating in Mali, Reuters has reported.
However, Mr Putin added that Mali has the right to work with private Russian firms.
Speaking at a news conference after talks with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, Mr Putin said there were no complaints from Mali over the Russian military contractors’ activity in the West African country.
OK, so he won’t object to them being arrested/disarmed on sight, wherever they are found.