Prigozhin says Wagner Group no longer recruits mercenaries

Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), has said the company has stopped recruiting new mercenaries.

Source: BBC Russian service

Quote: "The time of the opening of recruitment centres has not yet been determined. We do not plan to conduct new recruitment as long as we do not experience a personnel shortage."

Details: Prigozhin posted his statement on Telegram, confirming that the company had stopped recruiting new mercenaries.

Prigozhin said Wagner Group continues to operate in Africa and in "training centres" in Belarus and added that most of the company's mercenaries are staying on vacation.

BBC Russian service also reported that the Wagner PMC was recruiting mercenaries throughout Russia at the end of June, about a week after the attempted armed rebellion and a month after its withdrawal from the combat zone.

Background: 

• Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner PMC), allegedly spoke to the mercenaries who came to Belarus and said that they would be engaged in the training of the Belarusian army.
• On 20 July, the Belarusian Defence Ministry announced that it would perform joint exercises with the Wagner PMC at a training ground near the border with Poland.
• On 28 July, the 13th Wagner Group convoy arrived in Belarus.
• The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine stated that approximately 5,000 Russian mercenaries of the Wagner Group were in Belarus as of 22 July. However, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported that the Wagnerites do not currently pose a threat to Ukraine.

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