Vladimir Putin has incorporated a major arm of the Wagner Group into the Russian army, according to recent intelligence reports.
Following its abortive mutiny in June, the mercenary group’s future has become uncertain, with leader Yevgeny Prigozhin exiled to Minsk.
But his colleague convicts have an opportunity to partner with the Russian Ministry of Defence.
A recent intelligence update from the UK’s MoD revealed that the official government body has taken over Wagner’s “prison recruitment pipeline”.
The scheme has provided the Russian war effort with tens of thousands of new soldiers and could see the frontlines fuelled with new troops as Putin reportedly prepares to respond to Ukraine’s counter-offensive.
In an update posted on July 21, the UK MoD said Wagner Group had “likely released the last of its convict-recruits from their mandated service”.
The move, the update added, would see a “significant” number of approximately 40,000 men who have served within the Wagner ranks become professional contractors.
The recruitment scheme – named Project K – peaked in 2023 and has sent thousands of troops to combat hotspots on Ukraine’s frontlines.
The MoD added: “The end of the scheme marks a waypoint in the history of Wagner and of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“The soldiers provided by Project K enabled Russia to seize Bakhmut: one of its few recent claims to success.
“The project grew Wagner into the organisation which, last month, direct challenged the authority of President Putin.
“It also marks one of the bloodiest episodes in modern military history: up to 20,000 convict-recruits were killed within a few months.”
Over the last month, Wagner troops have arrived in Belarus to train at a military base three miles from the Polish border, raising alarm bells in the neighbouring nation.
Residents of the town of Kolpin-Ogrodniki can reportedly hear aeroplanes and gunfire, and “everyone is afraid”, locals have told France 24.
Wagner members have reportedly started training members of the Belarusian armed forces under direction from Russia.
