The mercenary Wagner Group has launched a drive to recruit in Russian schools and sports centres after “losing access” to the country’s prisons, according to UK intelligence.
It comes after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group’s leader, had a well-documented bust-up with the Russian military over the war in Ukraine.
He said said ammunition promised to his troops had not arrived, affecting their ability to help Russia hold on to the key city of Bakhmut.
In their latest update on the war, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said around half the former prisoners deployed in Ukraine by the Wagner Group have likely become casualties of the conflict, forcing them to try to recruit “free Russian citizens”.
The MoD said: “In recent weeks, Yevgeny Prigozhin has likely lost access to recruiting in Russian prisons due to his ongoing disputes with the Russian MoD leadership.
“Prigozhin is highly likely pivoting recruitment efforts towards free Russian citizens.
“Since the start of March 2023, Wagner has set up outreach teams based in sports centres in at least 40 locations across Russia.
“In recent days, masked Wagner recruiters also gave career talks in Moscow high schools, distributing questionnaires entitled ‘application of a young warrior’ to collect the contact details of interested pupils.”
However, the MoD said any new recruits “are unlikely to make up for the loss” of the former convicts.
“If the ban endures, Prigozhin will likely be forced to reduce the scale or intensity of Wagner operations in Ukraine,” the MoD said.
Meanwhile, Russia was accused yesterday of protecting the children of the country’s “elite” from the impact of the war.
The MoD said Russia “continues to suffer extremely heavy casualties”.
However, areas containing ethnic minorities are taking “the biggest hit” while “the richest cities of Moscow and St Petersburg have been left relatively unscathed”.
“This is especially true for the families of the country’s elite,” the MoD said.
Russia has stepped up its bombardment of Ukraine in recent weeks, while America has warned that the war could go on for years.
Zaporizhzhia, where the country’s largest nuclear power station is based, has also been affected – raising international fears about the potential for dangerous nuclear consequences.