By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group has begun recruiting fighters again in two regions of the country months after the death of its founder and leader, local media reported Wednesday.
The outfit has been incorporated into the Rosgvardia, or Russian National Guard, as one of its units and is being led by 25-year-old Pavel Prigozhin, the son of Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash in August, according to the local news site 59.ru.
Recruitment is reportedly taking place in the country’s Perm and Novosibirsk regions.
Journalists noticed an announcement about the resumption of recruitment published on Wagner’s regional Telegram channel in Perm.
They spoke with local Wagner representatives and learned the group is now a separate unit of the Rosgvardia under Pavel’s guidance.
"The emblems and symbols remain the same. We recruit those who already have combat experience, including those who already worked for the PMC (private military company). The only difference is that we hire only free people, not from prisons," a local Wagner representative told the media outlet.
Prigozhin died in a plane crash on Aug. 23, two months after Wagner attempted a short-lived rebellion against the Russian government.
Wagner has had a rising international profile in recent years through its deployment in Africa as well as in Ukraine, where Moscow launched a "special military operation" in February 2022.