Media: Wagner recruiting centers reopen in Russia

Recruiting centers of Wagner, a Russian mercenary group, have reopened in several Russian cities, Russian media reported on June 26.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Wagner recruitment offices resumed their work in Novosibirsk and Tyumen.

The agency reported that advertising posters had reappeared and the centers' employees are back at work after the apparent closure on June 23.

Russian Telegram channel BRIEF claimed that the recruitment centers had also resumed operations in Yekaterinburg and Murmansk. According to the Rotonda Telegram channel, the group's facility in St. Petersburg has been reopened as well.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

On June 23, Wagner's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion against Russia's government authorities. The mercenary group occupied Rostov, a major regional capital, before unexpectedly ending the rebellion on June 24.

Following Prigozhin's negotiations with Belarusian dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko that led to Wagner's retreat, the Kremlin pledged to close the case against the mercenary boss who was set to leave for Belarus.

However, Prigozhin's whereabouts can not be verified except for his departure from Rostov-on-Don on the evening of June 24. Prigozhin's press office allegedly told RTVI that Wagner's boss "sends his regards" and would answer all questions "when he is in normal contact."

The BRIEF channel claimed that Prigozhin has been spotted in a hotel in Minsk on June 26, but the information has not been independently verified. Lukashenko's press service commented they have no information of Prigozhin's arrival.

According to the Institute for the Study of War's June 25 update, the details of the deal between Prigozhin and the Kremlin are still unclear in public sources beyond speculation and gossip.