Wagner Group tells fighters to seek other employment

A Wagner Group spokesperson has recommended that the mercenary fighters seek other employment now that the group can no longer take part in the war in Ukraine and faces serious competition from Russia’s Defense Ministry and National Guard in Africa and the Near East. Independent publication iStories reported the announcement, citing audio posts that have been circulating in Wagner-related social media channels. A Wagner Group representative confirmed the authenticity of the message.

In the audio message, a man, whose status within the Wagner hierarchy is unknown, calls the situation “extremely difficult,” noting “we’re not allowed in the SVO [‘special military operation’].”

“Tens of thousands of trained fighters are ready to work for and defend their homeland, but due to unknown circumstances, they’re not currently letting us in. Now, we’re forced to look for other work options in Africa and the Near East. The situation there is also not straightforward. We face harsh competition from Defense Ministry and the National Guard, who are planning to go to those regions on similar missions to ours,” the audio post says.

According to the Wagner spokesperson, Yevgeny Prigozhin “resolved these problems” on his last trip to Africa, and now they’ll “be further resolved by leadership.” He noted that Wagner Group will “try” to provide its fighters with work, but “when and in what quantity is still unknown.”

“So you can either wait, or find a different type of work. Follow the international situation. If our team is permitted to the SVO [‘special military operation’], then we’ll resume active recruitment and there will be work,” the message continues.