BBC News | Some 20,000 mercenaries are believed to be fighting for Russia in Ukraine and they belong to an organisation called the Wagner Group, which has been used in Russian military operations all over the world.
The Wagner Group's fighters now make up about 10% of Russia's forces in Ukraine, according to UK government officials. Thousands are raw recruits from Russian prisons.
The Wagner Group started recruiting in large numbers after the Kremlin had trouble finding people for the regular army, UK intelligence officials say.
It's thought the organisation had previously had only 5,000 fighters, most of whom were former soldiers including many from elite regiments.
The Wagner Group has also adopted a higher profile - including a large new headquarters in St Petersburg.
"It is openly recruiting in Russian cities, on billboards, and is being named in Russian media as a patriotic organisation," says Dr Samuel Ramani, of the Royal United Services Institute think tank.
The Wagner Group has been heavily involved in Russian efforts to capture the city of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops say Wagner fighters have been sent into attacks in large numbers over open ground, with many killed as a result.
After Russia claimed to have captured the town of Soledar, near Bakhmut, a row broke out between its defence ministry and the Wagner Group over who should get the credit.
At first, the defence ministry did not mention that the Wagner Group was involved in the fighting. However, it then conceded that its mercenaries had played a "courageous and selfless" role.
A BBC investigation into the Wagner Group highlighted the believed involvement of a former Russian army officer, Dmitri Utkin.
A veteran of Russia's wars in Chechnya, he is thought to have founded Wagner and named it after his former radio call sign.
The current head is Yevgeny Prigozhin, a rich businessman nicknamed "Putin's chef" because he provided catering for the Kremlin.
Mr Prigozhin used to deny any links to the Wagner Group, but now speaks openly about the group's operations in Ukraine.
The Wagner Group's first operation was helping Russia annex Crimea in 2014, says Tracey German, professor of conflict and security at King's College London.
Troops appeared on the streets of Crimea at the time in uniforms without badges or markings, and were known as the "little green men".
"Its mercenaries are thought to be some of the 'little green men' who occupied the region," says Prof German.
After that, about 1,000 Wagner Group mercenaries helped Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine fight the Ukrainian army.
In the weeks before Russia's invasion, it is thought Wagner carried out "false flag" attacks to give the Kremlin a pretext for attacking.
Since 2015, Wagner Group mercenaries have been in Syria, fighting alongside pro-government forces and guarding oilfields.
There are also Wagner Group mercenaries in Libya, supporting the forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar.
The Central African Republic (CAR) has invited the Wagner Group to guard diamond mines, and it is thought to be guarding gold mines in Sudan.
The government of Mali, in West Africa, is using the Wagner Group against Islamic militant groups.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is thought to make money from Wagner Group operations abroad.
The US Treasury says he uses its presence to enrich mining companies which he owns and has placed them under sanctions.
An unnamed White House spokesman told Reuters that Mr Prigozhin may want the Wagner Group to capture Bakhmut so he can control salt and gypsum mines in the area.
In January, a former commander claimed asylum in Norway after deserting from the mercenary outfit. He claims to have witnessed war crimes in Ukraine.
Three Wagner Group mercenaries are alleged by Ukrainian prosecutors to have killed and tortured civilians near Kyiv in April 2022, alongside regular Russian troops.
German intelligence says Wagner mercenaries may also have massacred civilians in Bucha in March 2022, during the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv region.
The United Nations and the French government have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing rapes and robberies against civilians in the Central African Republic, and the EU has imposed sanctions as a result.
In 2020, the United States military accused Wagner mercenaries of having planted landmines and other improvised explosive devices in and around the Libyan capital, Tripoli. (Headline composed by Santosh, photo from internet)
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