Redut PMC in Russia recruits mercenaries as “volunteers,” including former Wagner personnel — British intelligence

The UK Ministry of Defense shared the information.

It noted that the group is controlled and funded by the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. 

British intelligence emphasized that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Redut has taken part in hostilities in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Luhansk regions. The group is likely to have over 7,000 members.

Currently, Redut is one of the PMC and volunteer corps units used by the Russian Ministry of Defense to reinforce Russian regular forces.

"It is a realistic possibility that the Russian Ministry of Defence’s practise of recruiting through “volunteer” units has contributed to Russia avoiding further unpopular mobilisations," the British intelligence noted.

• Earlier, journalists identified about a hundred mercenaries of the Russian PMC Redut who took part in the invasion of Ukraine: among them were Wagner personnel, fighters from Syria, ex-convicts and military personnel who invaded the country in 2014.