In early May, tensions between the Russian Defense Ministry and Wagner, the private military company close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, burst into the open.
— Read on www.foreignaffairs.com/russian-federation/why-putin-needs-wagner
For Putin, Wagner has also become a crucial means to rein in the military, which he has long viewed as a potential threat to his rule.
new department had been formed inside the GRU to supervise the activities of private military companies, including Wagner
For the GRU, Wagner provided a convenient deniability to its operations, at a time when Russia was publicly disavowing its direct involvement in eastern Ukraine.
Military contractors had been used by the United States in Iraq, for example, and Wagner bore some similarities to Blackwater, the U.S. military contractor.
started as a secretive, deniable proxy mercenary force, and gradually evolved into a large military unit with operations in several countries, its own artillery and air force, and finally, huge recruiting billboards on the streets of Russian cities, its own film production glorifying its deeds, and a big shiny tower in St. Petersburg for its corporate headquarters
Although Prigozhin has been incessantly promoting his fighters as the most capable fighting force on the Russian side, he has also made a special effort to keep his officers and field commanders anonymous.
Just as important for Wagner is the stance of the FSB, Russia’s main intelligence agency
The most important factor in Prigozhin’s continued role in Ukraine, however, is Putin himself.
the role of Wagner as a counterbalancing force to the military
Wagner is burning through more ammunition than any other Russian unit, which can be justified only as long as Wagner is doing what Prigozhin promised—making advances in Bakhmut
Law, Power, and Justice 
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