The Wagner Group – dubbed by some as Putin’s private army – is apparently lowering its standards and recruiting Russian convicts suffering from serious diseases including HIV and hepatitis C for the Ukraine war, according to UK intelligence, citing the organisation’s head, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The Ministry of Defence says that in earlier conflicts the Wagner Group has maintained “relatively high recruitment standards” with many of its operators previously serving as professional soldiers.
But the MoD added on Twitter that the admission of prisoners with serious medical concerns highlights “an approach which now priorities numbers over experience or quality”.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 30 October 2022
Find out more about the UK government’s response: https://t.co/NnbL0SZv8W
πΊπ¦ #StandWithUkraine πΊπ¦ pic.twitter.com/pVG0B0CJXK
β Ministry of Defence π¬π§ (@DefenceHQ) October 30, 2022
Source: Skynews.com