The Wagner mercenary group in Russia is said to be using social media platforms to recruit new members from around the world.
How Prigozhin recruits his mercenaries
A study published by Logically, a disinformation research group based in London, identified more than 50 examples of Wagner recruitment information that was shared in 16 languages on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms.
In a post written in English on Twitter, the user boasts that the fighters can earn up to 240,000 rubles (2,700 euros) a month – a common propaganda technique used to recruit new members.
“This is without the bonuses that can be earned for achieving achievements,” the tweet read.
The mercenary group is reportedly looking to fill numerous positions, from IT to medical roles, as well as actual soldiers.
Another Spanish-language Twitter post also uses the same language to persuade people to join, promoting “life insurance” and working for “a team focused on efficiency and victory.”
There are similar posts in French, Vietnamese and Indonesian.
How the network works
There are other surprising elements to this online recruiting campaign, including reactions to these posts, according to Kyle Walter, head of research at Logically.
“A lot of these posts were shared in languages you wouldn’t necessarily expect, like Vietnamese, even some in Polish,” Walter told Euronews.
“Reactions to these posts have been mostly positive. A lot of people were asking questions about how they can still join the Wagner group or saying they support the group in general.”
Although researchers could not directly attribute these messages to Wagner, the style and arguments presented are very similar to the group’s recruitment process in Russia.
The Wagner group is accused of widespread human rights abuses and other atrocities, particularly in Ukraine, along with other places on the African continent.
