Support The Moscow Times!

Wagner Halts Recruitment After Botched Mutiny

A Wagner recruitment office in Moscow. Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS

Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has announced it is suspending the recruitment of new fighters in the aftermath of its failed mutiny and as the Russian military’s deadline for volunteer units to sign contracts passed over the weekend.

Wagner’s recruitment channel on the Telegram messaging app said late Sunday that a one-month recruitment suspension was linked to its “temporary non-participation” in the war in Ukraine and its relocation to neighboring Belarus.

At the same time, Saturday marked the Russian Defense Ministry’s deadline requiring all “volunteer detachments” to sign contracts with the military.

Wagner’s now-exiled leader Yevgeny Prigozhin had refused to comply with the Defense Ministry's order and launched a short-lived mutiny to “save” the mercenary outfit on June 23, days after the order was made public.

A deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko spared Prigozhin criminal mutiny charges in exchange for his exile in Belarus.

Prigozhin has since dismantled his media holding — which included the infamous troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency — after reports suggested it would be taken over by other Kremlin-linked tycoons.

It was not immediately clear how Wagner’s suspended recruitment of new fighters would affect its operations in Africa and Syria, where the mercenaries have been accused of committing abuses.

Wagner played a key role in the fight for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the longest and bloodiest battle in the war until it was captured by Russian forces in May. 

Prigozhin had announced the withdrawal from Bakhmut later that month after revealing the loss of 20,000 out of the recruited 50,000 Wagner fighters in the fight.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more