Under Kremlin control

Wagner mercenaries return to the Ukrainian front

Mercenaries of the Wagner group

(Bild: vk.com/wagner_group_z)

After the death of their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, it was unclear for a long time what would happen to the fighters of the Wagner mercenary group. Now it has become known: Thousands of men are returning to the front in Ukraine - but this time as part of the Russian Guard. 

The first fighters are already stationed in the Avdiivka region, according to the Ukrainian secret service. "A volunteer corps of 18,000 people is currently being formed in Russia. These, including all former Wagnerians, are led by the Ministry of Defense," the Ukrainian general and vice-chairman of the main intelligence service, Vadim Skibitsky, told Interfax-Ukraine.

There are differences in salary
"So they are actively deployed because they have combat experience. This means that they can now be seen on the battlefield," said the general. The corps' approach is the same as that of the Wagner Group in Bachmut, but financially there are differences: "These are constant offensive operations and achieving results at all costs. In terms of salary, it is almost the same as in the Russian armed forces. But Wagner's salary was higher and Wagner really valued his instructors and commanders."

Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and the entire Wagner leadership died in a mysterious plane crash in August 2023.

(Bild: AP)

Former Wagner mercenaries had previously been integrated into the Russian military, but they were deployed in the Africa Corps, which is also subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Defense. This was created to replace the Wagner troops.

Veteran status and insurance payments beckon
Recruitment measures for former Wagner fighters have already begun - a six-month contract is being offered for deployment in Ukraine and nine months in Africa. The hired mercenaries could also receive veteran status and insurance payments in the event of injury or death, reported topwar.ru. "The 1st Volunteer Corps invites men to work for whom the defense of the motherland is the only right choice," an official statement on the trade magazine's website reads. 

The Russian military has recently made progress at Avdiivka. The experienced Wagner fighters may also have contributed to this if they had already been deployed there for some time. It is difficult to estimate the army's losses to date since the beginning of the war of aggression against Ukraine; there is talk of up to 88,000 Russian casualties. The recruitment of former mercenaries could be a way of avoiding another wave of recruitment shortly before the elections in Russia.