New Delhi: Russian PMC Wagner group is offering 4-month contracts to volunteers with a 240k-rubles-a-month salary plus bonus (150k-700k rubles).

Volunteers will be trained at Molkino

Volunteers will first receive their training in Molkino. They are currently recruiting for the posts of engineer, artillery operator, armory, and other specialties.

Recruits will have to deactivate Social Media profiles

The recruits will be required to deactivate their profiles from all the social media applications. The recruitments are currently being done for men who belong to the age group of 24-50 without any prior special experience. The minimum age of the recruits could be as low as 22.

Induction forbidden for Ukraine, NATO and EU

The Wagner group is willing to take recruits from any country. However they will not be inducting individuals belonging to Ukraine or any other NATO/EU member.

Chechen fighters inducting too

Chechen fighters has also announced vacancies for volunteers in Chechnya. They too are offering a pay scale of reportedly 205-270k rubles per month with an 50k rubles advance.

There are extra financial incentives for destroying aircraft (300k rubles), helicopters (200k), tanks (100k).

What is Wagner Group?

Wagner group which is also known as PMC Wagner is a Russia based paramilitary organization. It has various definitions in terms of the understanding. It is known as a private military company (PMC), a network of ruthless mercenaries, or a de facto private army belonging to the Russian President Valdimir Putin.

However, the group does not exist neither on paper nor is recognized officially by the government.

There is a disproportionate frame work in ringfencing the group based on a particular ideology. There is a paradox as there are instances of some of the individuals of belonging to the group having links with Neo-Nazis and far-right extremists.

The Wagner Group birth in global lime light

The Wagner group came into recognition on a global level following the war in the Donbass region of Ukraine. The group aided the rebel forces of the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic)  ad Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) rom 2014 to 2015.

Wagner Group’s involvement foreign conflicts

The Wagner Group has been involved in various conflicts that brewed around the world. The civil wars that took place in Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Mali saw the involvement of Wager’s Group. They usually aided the side whose interests aligned with Moscow.

Accused of War Crimes

Wagner Group are loosely defined as mercenaries who achieve targets for money. They have been accused of committing war crimes in the regions where they have operated. The accusations range from robberies to rape of civilians.

Links with Russian Forces

The Wagner Group has always acted in support of Russian interests or foreign policy objectives. They are reportedly trained on the installations of Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD). A lot of sources have claimed to be an arm of the Russian MoD or Russia’s Military Intelligence Agency (abbreviated as GRU).

The mercenaries group is believed to be financed for functioning and operating by the Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin. He is said to have close ties with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

If speculations are to be believed, Russian government has used the Wagner Group at various instances to ascertain plausible deniability. The most recent ties of the group has emerged from Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was reportedly deployed to assassinate Ukrainian leaders.