The aggressor country, russia, has resumed a campaign to recruit residents of African countries to participate in the war against Ukraine. Mercenaries of the russian private military company (PMC) Wagner are involved in the training of recruited Africans.
This was reported by the British publication The Independent with reference to unnamed representatives of the intelligence of Western countries.
Interlocutors of the publication said that the recruitment campaign intensified after the rapid spread of the influence of the russian federation on the African continent. It was greatly strengthened after the overthrow of pro-Western governments at once in several countries of the continent.
Those who join the organization are usually offered USD 2,000 as an entry fee, a monthly salary of USD 2,200, health insurance, russian passports for themselves and their closest relatives.
In addition, recruited mercenaries are promised that in the event of death or injury, they or their family members will receive compensation payments.
The interlocutors of the publication noted that the program of recruitment of African mercenaries is connected with the reluctance of the leadership of the russian federation to conduct a new wave of mobilization, which is extremely unpopular in the country.
The publication reminds that the so-called "partial mobilization", which was announced in the russian federation in the fall of 2022, led to a mass outflow of young professionals from the country.
In russia, the number of prisoners has also almost halved. According to the Ministry of Justice of the russian federation, the number of prisoners in the country decreased from 420,000 before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine to 266,000.
The day before, the British Ministry of Defense reported in its intelligence review that russia had reached a tipping point.
"It is likely that russia is expanding its recruitment in the Global South to avoid additional mobilization," the publication quotes a fragment of the statement of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain.
According to a senior European official, some time ago countries in Africa and Asia saw weak recruitment. However, now that the russian federation has begun to expand its presence in the Sahel and central areas of Africa, recruitment has noticeably intensified.
He added that monitoring the activities of the russian federation in these countries has become much more difficult, since the presence of the West in this region has weakened significantly.
"Now we hear that local officials are helping with the recruitment process. The money offered is very good by local standards and attractive to young people from very poor areas," said the interlocutor of the publication.
According to him, some of those who decided to join the russians have experience of participating in various armed groups.
"This, of course, is very different from the war in Ukraine with the use of modern weapons. Many of these people who will enter the service will most likely die," the official added.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in December 2023, the National Resistance Center said that the russians were conducting a recruiting campaign to gather 50 to 100 soldiers and officers. They were to be sent to Africa to recruit local residents for the war against Ukraine.
It will be recalled that in March of this year it became known that the russians were importing mercenaries from Cuba and Nepal to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
We also reported that Sri Lanka demands compensation from russia for the death of citizens recruited for the war against Ukraine.
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