Wagner Group is recruiting again, now accepting civilians
The Wagner Group is recruiting once again, according to Ukrainian media reports. Pavel, the son of Yevgeny Prigozhin, has taken over command of the fighters. The recruitment process has been initiated in the Ural region, according to the Suspilne portal.
8:06 PM EDT, October 31, 2023
The Wagner Group stated that it plans to sign contractual agreements with all interested individuals aged between 20 and 55. The pay scale for the mercenaries will be determined based on their assigned location. Expected earnings range from 80,000 to 240,000 rubles, approximately equating to $1,090 to $3,269.
Prigozhin's son now at the helm
A representative from the Wagner Group disclosed to the media: "Characteristics and symbols have all remained unchanged. We employ individuals with prior combat experience, including those who have previous connections with a private military company. The only difference now is that we are recruiting from the civilian population instead of prisons."
Furthermore, the representative confirmed that the Wagner Group, a part of the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya), is currently led by Pavel, Yevgeny Prigozhin's son.
Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash
Yevgeny Prigozhin, along with other Wagner Group leaders, perished in a plane crash that occurred in the Tver region of Russia on August 23. Many analysts suspect that their deaths were a form of retaliation by the Kremlin due to the rebellion in June and the subsequent "March on Moscow".
In late July, the Ukrainian border guard together with the British Ministry of Defense reported that thousands of Russian mercenaries have been situated at a military base in the small village of Cel in central Belarus.
There were subsequent reports of a portion of these mercenaries leaving for African nations. A smaller group remained in Belarus where they trained special units of the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs. Other mercenaries from the Wagner Group opted to serve in the Russian army and were dispatched to the frontlines in Ukraine.