Russia's Wagner mercenary group has suspended the work of regional recruitment centers for one month, the group’s recruitment channel on Telegram reported on July 2.
According to the announcement, the suspension is connected to the group’s relocation to Belarus following a deal between the Kremlin and Wagner's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Prigozhin and some of his mercenaries were allowed to leave for Belarus after the group staged an armed rebellion against the Russian government on June 23.
As opposed to the recruitment centers, Wagner call centers used for hiring soldiers for the war against Ukraine continue to work.
According to independent Russian news outlet Novaya Gazeta, as of June 30, the group had at least 21 recruiting centers in 20 Russian cities.
On June 30, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with El Mundo that 21,000 Wagner soldiers had been killed by Ukrainian forces, and over 80,000 had been injured.
“The good news is that we destroyed the most motivated part of the Russian forces,” Zelensky said.
Francis Farrell
