British intelligence names probable number of Wagner mercenaries at the front in Ukraine

The Ministry of Defence of Great Britain reports on Twitter.

According to the Russian State Register, Wagner's paramilitary group was officially registered as a legal entity on December 27, 2022. Group announced its main activity as "management consulting"; military service was not mentioned.

"It is not yet clear to what extent the ‘PMC Wagner Centre’ entity will be used to administer Wagner’s paramilitary activity," the message says.

British Ministry of Defense reminds that private military companies (PMCs) remain illegal in Russia, despite long-standing discussions about reforming the law. So the owner of Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, probably partially financed the organization through state contracts concluded by his other companies.

"The registration continues the remarkably rapid development of the traditionally opaque group’s public profile. Prigozhin only admitted to founding Wagner in September 2022; in October 2022, it opened a glossy HQ in St Petersburg," British Ministry of Defence says.

British intelligence notes that Wagner's PMC includes 50,000 people in Ukraine and that group "became key component of Ukrainian campaign."

"The registration likely aims to maximise Prigozhin’s commercial gain and to further legitimise the increasingly high-profile organisation," British Ministry of Defense added.

• Wagner's PMC appeared in 2014 and actively operated in a number of countries where Russia has important interests - in particular, Syria, Libya, CAR and Ukraine. There, among other things, they committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. After Russian full-scale invasion into Ukraine, Wagner mercenaries took part in massacres of civilians. Prisoners from Russian prisons are currently being recruited into the PMC. Prigozhin recruits mercenaries in Africa for war in Ukraine too.

• For a long time, Prigozhin denied connection with Wagner's PMC, and recently confirmed existence of this group. Oligarch, who is under Western sanctions, is considered to be close to Putin and a supporter of aggressive war against Ukraine.

• In January 2023, it became known that Wagner's PMC was legalized in Russia, despite ban on the activities of paramilitary mercenaries. Joint-stock company "PMC Wagner Center" is registered in the Russian register in the building of the business center of the same name, built by Yevgeny Prigozhin in St. Petersburg - until now no legal entity with PMC Wagner in the name existed in Russia.