Death Is Our Business. John Lechner. 2025. 222 Pages. (Harcover.).

The American journalist and researcher gives a exhaustive account of the dozens of private military forces operative in Eastern Europe and Africa in the early part of this century. I would challenge any non-historian Canadian to recall even a small portion of the names of the hundreds of people and places discussed in the introduction and first chapter (70 pages) with their shifting loyalties and murderous ways.

The main focus of the book is on the Wagner group of paramilitary forces under the direction of Yevgeny Prigozhin which operated in at least a dozen African countries as well as Ukraine before falling foul of the Russian oligarchy. They were and are businessmen as well as private armies that operate at arms length from official armies, often allowing governments, including the U.S. to deny responsibility for their often atrocious actions. Vast sums of money and the international arms trade are at stake, particularly as they exploit Africa’s natural resources.

This is a deeply researched book, involving considerable peril to the author as he travels through war zones and interviews combatants with variable allegiances. It is also discouraging as it documents the tremendous influence of private armies and money quite separate and often at odds with official governmental agencies.

I cannot recommend this erudite book except to those involved in the military, paramilitary or security industries.

3/5

Thanks, The Economist.