Wagner brings together devoted specialists and extremely inspired people, intones a voiceover at the start of a film about the mercenary company as slow-motion footage plays of men in camouflage and navigating tanks.

Its where real patriots gather, the voice continues.

The documentary PMC Wagner: Contract with the Motherland, which was produced by state-run channel RT, is among a series of slick videos glorifying the notorious mercenary company that has actually taken center stage in Russias attempts to advance in Ukraine.

In much of this propaganda, Wagner mercenaries-- or musicians as they have actually been nicknamed in referral to the 19th-century author of the very same name-- are illustrated as battle-hardened, principled men risking their lives for a higher cause.As the once-secretive mercenary company has marched from the shadows amid the Ukraine war, so too has its media and PR device ratcheted up attempts to draw in brand-new recruits and assist promote the companys standing within the Russian elite.Its method of blunt, aggressive rhetoric and vicious criticism of its competitors exemplifies what is called black PR, according to professionals.

10s of thousands of mercenaries are believed to be combating with Wagner in Ukraine.

A substantial part of Wagner recruits are most likely brought in by the mix of heroism and machismo that the Wagner brand looks for to embody, according to Ilya Bykov, a government professor and professional in political PR.

Its focused on individuals who believe that life has little value, that death is inescapable and that at least some heroism can be discovered over there [in Ukraine], he said.

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin.t.me/ concordgroup_officialThe businesss leader, Kremlin-linked business person Yevgeny Prigozhin, has actually likewise utilized his individual media vertical to showcase the mercenaries achievements on the battleground-- while enhancing his credibility as a military leader and undermining political rivals.

On the other hand with Russias army generals, Prigozhin is frequently recorded on the battlefield.In a video launched earlier this month, Prigozhin was shown in an airborne fighter jet that he declared had actually just bombed Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine where Wagner fighters have been at the lead of the Russian military effort.

Regardless of mercenary business being outlawed in Russia, Wagner has been freely running a recruiting campaign to prop up Moscows war effort considering that the invasion of Ukraine in 2015.

This has included the recruitment of 10s of countless jail prisoners, who were guaranteed a pardon in exchange for a six-month contract with Wagner.

On Russian social networks network VKontakte, among a number of Wagner recruitment pages has over 400,000 subscribers.

Wagner isnt work, it is a way of life, reads the page description.

It publishes useful instructions for those who want to sign up with, along with videos-- like Contract with the Motherland, -- proclaiming Wagners military tasks in Ukraine.

In one marketing video on the page, which has been viewed over 1.2 million times, audiences are urged to leave uninteresting civilian life, enlist in Wagner and f *** up Nazis in Ukraine.

While countless Wagner fighters are believed to have actually been killed throughout Russias yearlong invasion, employees do not always regret their subscription.

He keeps informing us that he can not [aid] Go back [ to Ukraine], said a relative of a Russian prisoner who recently registered for a second tour of duty with Wagner.

He has freaked, the relative, who asked for anonymity, told The Moscow Times.For others, the carefully crafted PR-- and mythology-- surrounding Prigozhin himself appears to have played a role in encouraging them to enroll.

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks to soldiers.t.me/ concordgroup_officialTelegram channels linked to Prigozhin cultivate a picture of a hard leader who is not afraid to get his hands filthy while pursuing Russias interests.

Prigozhin does not avoid the less attractive sides of the war.In one video from New Years Eve, he was revealed going to a morgue in Bakhmut, evaluating dozens of black body bags including dead Wagner mercenaries.

They died heroically, Prigozhin said indifferently.

Their contract has completed, they will go house next week.

Himself a former found guilty, Prigozhin often adopts crude, thuggish rhetoric.

Prigozhin and Wagners images are really comparable as they are both associated to problems with the law, stated Bykov.

He has actually cultivated the image of a strong, figured out and resourceful male who is ready to do a hard, risky, dangerous job.

One previous Wagner leader, who fled Russia earlier this year and requested asylum in Norway, described how Prigozhin checked out employees throughout training.

He assured us a stunning life and told us that we were all great fighters, Andrei Medvedev, 26, told The Moscow Times.

According to specialists, strongmen like Prigozhin tend to see a boost in appeal in times of conflict and crisis.

Russias criminal aggressiveness against Ukraine has brought killers and bandits like Prigozhin to the top, turning them into heroes and politicians, said sociologist Igor Eidman.

Before the increase of Wagner, Prigozhin was understood for his infamous giant factory in St.

Petersburg that was accused by Washington of interfering in the 2016 U.S.

presidential elections.

He is likewise believed to manage a broad network of minor media outlets and social media accounts.

A Wagner cemetery near southern Russias Krasnodar.t.me/ majdankrdIn addition to prompting Wagners battlefield accomplishments, Prigozhin has actually used this media device to weaken opponents within Russias political facility.

While Prigozhin claims he has no political aspirations, Sergei Mironov, the leader of the pro-Kremlin A Just Russia-- Patriots for Truth celebration, has actually become a prominent Wagner supporter.

And Russian legislators recently announced brand-new legislation to penalize the discreditation of volunteers-- including Wagner fighters-- helping the Russian armed force.

He [Prigozhin] is visibly transforming into a full-fledged politician with his own views, which are absolutely nothing except revolutionary, Russian political specialist Tatiana Stanovaya wrote in an article about the mercenary leader released this week.

Some of those who have been targeted by Prigozhin in personal attacks include longtime foe and St.

Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and leading Russian general Valery Gerasimov.

Professional Bykov specified Prigozhins communication technique as one of black PR, a method that includes tainting competitors images.

This approach can bear some fruit however can likewise backfire in the long run, stated Bykov.

Black PR typically ends up reflecting negatively on all the actors included.

And some professionals think Prigozhins outspokenness and aggressive media maker has already pushed away numerous in the Russian elite.

He has actually entered a battle with everybody working [at the Defense Ministry], Denis Kortokov, a journalist who has actually examined Wagners activities, told The Moscow Times.

To Korotkov, Prigozhins brash design indicates he is more reliant than ever on his individual ties to Putin.

Prigozhin has no base, no principles, other than the approval of a single male, he stated.