The notorious Wagner group is reportedly building its own military police force to force rival Russian troops to submit to the mercenary group’s rules and recognize their “complete authority” in occupied parts of Ukraine.
The bold plan – just the latest in a long line of attacks by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin on his enemies at the Russian Defense Ministry – was detailed in a job advertisement for the group posted on social media on Thursday.
“Wagner invites former employees [of the security services] with experience in operational work and detention” to perform duties in the war zone, the group said.
The independent news agency Verstka reports that one of its reporters called the number given in the job posting and told him that the new “military police” would be deployed in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
“You have to make sure everyone is following the rules of the company. Make sure there are no thieves and looters, no beatings, no drunkenness etc,” a recruiter identified only as Denis was quoted as saying.
Members of the new military police would also be tasked with sorting out and interrogating “saboteurs,” he said, as well as “capturing” regular Russian troops who report to Russia’s defense ministry.
“The scumbags have multiplied there and drink like pigs. We have full authority,” he was quoted as saying.
“The work will be interesting, there’s no doubt about it,” the job ad said.
The news comes as Prigozhin is redoubling efforts to refute virtually every claim of battlefield “success” made publicly by Russia’s top military officials. While Russia’s Defense Ministry cited fantastic numbers to claim it stopped Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Prigozhin said such glowing assessments were all “lies.”
“You bring a lot of nonsense to the President’s table…” [Defense Minister Sergei] Shoigu and [Chief of the General Staff Valery] Gerasimov takes a simple approach: a lie has to be monstrous for people to believe it,” he said through his press service.
“Russia will wake up one day and find that Crimea has already been handed over to the Ukrainians. “A real betrayal of the interests of the Russian Federation is taking place, and all this is happening against the background of losses,” he said.