Since November, a polished communication has been relaunching recruitment for the Wagner group, with one nuance, it is called “Wagner Legion Istra”. On the menu, rock’n’roll, visits to the kitchens and signatures on flags of the Wagner group by its former heroes.
The name has actually appeared in January on forums on which the relatives of soldiers express themselves. A mother then asks if the Wagner Legion group is real and if the Wagner group is reforming because her son received a recruitment video.
A Telegram channel administered by a certain Keffer of the 11th battalion has been recruiting since July.
The takeover by the Russian Ministry of Defense is accelerating.
The death of Evgeny Prigozhin had signed the express takeover of the group’s affairs by the GRU and Vice Minister Yunus Bek Yevkurov. Indeed GRU General Averyanov joined official visits to the countries where the Wagner group is established and overviewed the launch of the ‘Africa Corps’ project with its entry in Burkina Faso and Niger. Moving forward the Ministry of Defense seems now to be taking over the historical symbols of the Wagner group.
At the head of Wagner Legion Istra, veterans of the historic Wagner group whose war deeds feed the legends of the Wagner group. Alexander Kuznetov, known under the pseudonym Ratibor, is the Commander and appears to have moved up the ranks in the photos (lieutenant colonel). He is assisted by the chief of staff, Marks (in our databases, he also has the pseudonym Demon). The other emblematic members of Wagner Legion Istra are a priori commanding battalions for operations in Ukraine and Africa:
- Ruslan Zaprudsky “Rusich” is taking charge of a battalion in training for Ukraine. He distinguished himself with his 13th battalion in the capture of Kidal in December 2023 in Mali, but his battalion suffered a real defeat in Tin Za Ouatine in northern Mali. At the time, he explained that he was no longer part of the historic Wagner.
- Andrey Ivanov “Kep” is taking charge of the battalion in Mali. He was part of the team that entered Mali in 2021 and was notably responsible for negotiations around gold donations and the delivery of weapons for the Wagner group with the Malian army. His appearance alongside Wagner Legion Istra raises the question of the takeover of Malian affairs by the Ministry of Defense, which would signal a decline in the small core of the historic Wagner still active on the African continent.
- Ruslan Chlyan “Radimir” takes the leadership of the battalion in Libya. AEOW had investigated the takeover of Libyan operations by the Russian Ministry of Defense and the massive arrival of GRU troops under the banner of “PMC” in the country.
A double affiliation: Ministry of Defense and the city of Istra
It is interesting to note that all the recruitment posts indicate that this is a one-year contract that will be signed with the Russian Ministry of Defense, thus marking a takeover of the Wagner group’s branding by the Ministry of Defense. The circle is complete.
The other interesting element is the role played by Tatiana Vitusheva, the administrator of the Istra district, who relays the recruitment offers. AEOW/INPACT contacted Vitusheva who did not respond to our questions regarding the financial and logistical role of the Istra district with regard to the Wagner Legion Istra group. Yet upon closer inspection, recruitment is managed from the military office in Istra.
Vitusheva also posts on July 1, 2024 about the formation of a group of Wagner loyalists who responded to the call for veterans in Istra to sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense and join this new iteration of Wagner.
Recruitment difficulties for Russia?
Communication channels indicate that Wagner Legion brings together “the best conditions” for the engagement of volunteers: the best commanders of the Wagner group, resources provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense. For missions abroad, Wagner Legion Istra offers a payment of approximately 21,000 euros (2,300,000 rubles) then a monthly salary on site of 2,472 euros per month (270,000 rubles), as well as health and life insurance and new “modern” equipment and uniforms for individuals aged 20 to 50. By emphasizing the quality of the contract and publicizing the former stars of Wagner, it seems that the Russian Ministry of Defense is attempting to remobilize Russian men for recruitment, in a way acknowledging the failure of the Africa Corps project and the power of the Wagner brand created by Prigozhin.
Investigations with Impact 
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