There are indications that the Kremlin is seeking to hire these mercenaries through the Wagner Group, a private paramilitary organization with Chechen paramilitaries and special forces, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a news conference.
John Kirby confirmed that the Wagner Group – also backed by the Kremlin – would try to recruit mercenaries in Syria and North African countries, such as Libya, to send them to the Donbass, where they had prioritized their military operations.
The United States has been warning for weeks that Russia is recruiting Syrian fighters into its ranks in Ukraine, with no evidence that this is happening now.
On Monday, the British Ministry of Defense said that Wagner mercenaries have been deployed in eastern Ukraine, and it estimates that more than 1,000 fighters from this paramilitary group could be deployed in the conflict.
In an update on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, posted on the social network Twitter, the British Defense added, “It is expected that more than 1,000 mercenaries, including officers from this organization, will be sent to carry out combat operations.”
