As if nothing had happened. A week after the failed rebellion by the paramilitary group led by Yevgeny Prigojine, Wagner continues to recruit fighters in Russia, according to a BBC investigation published on Thursday.
British state media reporters asked a dozen recruitment centers if they were still recruiting, posing as Russian volunteers. Each time, they received a positive response.
Installed most of the time in combat sports clubs, Wagner’s recruiters offer six-month contracts with a salary equivalent to almost 2,500 euros per month.
Fighters sent to Belarus?
In Volgograd, southwestern Russia, a recruiter contacted by the BBC said if someone signed up, they could be “deployed the next day”. The man mentioned Belarus as a possible destination, whose President Alexander Lukashenko said he was ready to receive Wagner’s mercenaries.
According to the BBC, a Belarusian Wagner member who calls himself “Brest” has hinted that Alexander Lukashenko could use the paramilitaries as a security force in the event of further protests against his authoritarian regime.
However, some recruiting centers maintained that the recruited fighters would continue to fight in Ukraine.
“Everything is as before, for now. Nothing has changed,” says a recruiter from Saratov, in the west of the country.
Wagner’s ability to continue his activity may raise doubts, since Vladimir Putin assured on Tuesday that The “maintenance of the Wagner group” was “fully provided by the state”.
Belarus announced the arrival of Wagner’s boss Yevgeny Prigojine on Tuesday as part of a deal that ended his rebellion in Russia. On the same day, the Russian security services (FSB) announced the drop of charges against Wagner for “armed riot”. The former strongman of Vladimir Putin, in open war with the military hierarchy, spoke on Monday in an audio message, assuring that he does not want to “overthrow” Russian power.
Source: BFM TV
