Armed Conflict Foreign Relations & International Law

Lawfare Daily: Russian PMCs Update with Candace Rondeaux

Justin Sherman, Candace Rondeaux, Jen Patja
Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 7:00 AM
Discussing the current state of Russia’s Wagner Group and other Russian private military companies.
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Candace Rondeaux, the founder and principal of Frontline Atlas, an independent geopolitical risk intelligence hub; a professor with the Future Security Initiative at Arizona State University; and a senior fellow in global security at New America joins Lawfare’s Justin Sherman to discuss the latest geopolitics, operations, and state of Russian private military companies (PMCs).

They discuss the current state of Russia’s Wagner Group and other Russian PMCs, their roles in recruitment of people to fight for Russia against Ukraine and the operation of Russia’s shadow fleet, and touchpoints with Iranian actors. They also discuss Russian PMC activities in Mali; how recent setbacks on the African continent might blow back on the chain of command, including Russian government actors; a recent legal case in the African court of human rights; and what steps the United States might take to better address Russian PMCs’ security threats.

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Armed Conflict Foreign Relations & International Law
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Justin Sherman

Justin Sherman

@jshermcyber
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Justin Sherman is a contributing editor at Lawfare. He is also the founder and CEO of Global Cyber Strategies, a Washington, DC-based research and advisory firm; the scholar in residence at the Electronic Privacy Information Center; and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Candace Rondeaux

Candace Rondeaux

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Candace Rondeaux is the founder and principal of Frontline Atlas, an independent geopolitical risk intelligence hub; a professor with the Future Security Initiative at Arizona State University; and a senior fellow in global security at New America. She is the author of the book “Putin’s Sledgehammer: The Wagner Group and Russia’s Collapse Into Mercenary Chaos” (Public Affairs, 2025).
Jen Patja

Jen Patja

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Jen Patja is the editor of the Lawfare Podcast and Rational Security, and serves as Lawfare’s Director of Audience Engagement. Previously, she was Co-Executive Director of Virginia Civics and Deputy Director of the Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier, where she worked to deepen public understanding of constitutional democracy and inspire meaningful civic participation.
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