The Russian paramilitary group Wagner said on Thursday it had stopped recruiting inmates from prisons across Russia to send them to fight in Ukraine.
“The recruitment of detainees for the private paramilitary group Wagner has completely stopped,” said the head of this organization, Evguéni Prigojine, quoted in a press release issued by his press service.
The Wagner Group, founded in 2014, has recruited thousands of inmates to fight in Ukraine in exchange for sentence reductions. Formerly discreet, Mr. Prigojine has established himself as a major player in the conflict in Ukraine.
“All obligations” to those who already work for the group “are being fulfilled,” the statement said.
The influence in Russia of Mr. Prigozhin and his paramilitary group has grown significantly since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
In particular, they played an important role in the capture of the Ukrainian town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, the first success for Russian forces for several months and after a series of setbacks.
Wagner’s men are also on the offensive in Bakhmout (eastern Ukraine), which Moscow has been trying to take since the summer, at the cost of heavy losses on both sides and great destruction.
Before the conflict in Ukraine, Wagner’s mercenaries had been seen in Syria, Libya and even in several African countries.