FT: The PMC “Wagner” propagandists massively recruit agents for sabotage in Europe

Recruiters and propagandists who previously worked for the Russian PMC “Wagner” have become one of the main channels for Kremlin-organized sabotage attacks in Europe.

This is reported by the Financial Times, citing data from Western intelligence representatives.

After the failed coup in June 2023 and the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the status of the PMC “Wagner” remained unclear. But its network did not disappear. Recruiters who had previously sought men for the war against Ukraine were given a new task — to recruit economically vulnerable Europeans for sabotage in NATO countries.

Both GRU and FSB have stepped up their recruitment of so-called expendable agents in Europe. Over the past two years, the Kremlin has expanded its sabotage campaign, seeking to weaken support for Ukraine and sow instability.

After the mass expulsions of Russian diplomats, Moscow has fewer permanent intelligence officers in the EU, so it is increasingly operating through intermediaries. For GRU, the “Wagner” network has become a convenient tool.

The recruited people were tasked with setting fire to politiciansʼ cars, warehouses with aid for Ukraine, and information provocations under the guise of neo-Nazi propaganda. Most often, these are marginalized people who are motivated by money.

Russian intelligence services build up several layers of intermediaries to maintain the ability to deny their involvement. People from “Wagner” have long cooperated with GRU in this format. FSB more often relies on criminal and diaspora networks, but they are less effective for mass recruitment.

Wagner had an extensive social media propaganda network that was reoriented towards an international audience. The group’s Telegram channels operate professionally and clearly reach their target audience. Prigozhin himself also ran the Internet Research Agency troll factory, which for years spread disinformation in the West.

European intelligence agencies have been tracking “Wagner” role since the beginning. In late 2023, a group of Britons were recruited through linked accounts to set fire to a warehouse in London. The main perpetrator was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

After that, the security forces began to see a wider network of "expendable" agents throughout Europe. At the same time, they have an advantage: what Russia gains in scale and cheapness through intermediaries, it loses in professionalism and conspiracy. So far, most attacks have been thwarted.

• According to the British think tank RUSI, during the war against Ukraine, Russia is recruiting Ukrainian refugees with poor financial circumstances for sabotage in Europe, who sometimes do not even realize that they are working for Moscow.

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