A HotNews.ro correspondent using a male pseudonym contacted Wagner’s recruiting representatives on Telegram and expressed his desire to join the Russian mercenary group.

Wagner’s group, currently on the front line in Bakhmut, is in the midst of a recruiting campaign. The mercenary company’s recruitment notices are actively promoted both on billboards in Russian cities and on social networks.

I wanted to know how the recruitment process works and what information people receive before they are sent to the front in the form of a Wagner group.

To do this, I created a male identity in Telegram, a fictional character, and contacted company representatives.

In this way, I learned that the salary received will be 240 thousand rubles per month, which is equivalent to 2685 euros. In addition to this money, the conscript also receives a bonus for “successful completion of tasks.” Wagner representatives also informed me that there is a death benefit, but the amount will be disclosed during the interview. I also learned that citizens of the EU, NATO and Ukraine cannot be employed at Wagner.

The company, founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been accused of battlefield atrocities these days after photos of Wagner’s mercenaries beheading Ukrainian soldiers went viral online.

The first step: the fictional character contacts Wagner’s representatives

Connect with Wagner representatives on Telegram. PHOTO: Screenshot via Telegram

To be authentic in my journalistic approach, I created a fictional character, a 24-year-old man from the Russian city of Voronezh (located approximately 250 km from the Ukrainian border).

The guy does not have a job and has not finished his studies, but he studied military courses at a local technical university.

Also, in order not to arouse suspicion, I wrote messages in Russian with deliberate grammatical errors, words with missing letters, etc. I wanted to give the impression that at this point I haven’t made up my mind to go to Wagner because I still need answers to my questions.

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The first step was to write a message from the Telegram account to the number indicated in the Wagner job advertisement.

“Hello. My name is Oleg, 24 years old. I still have a question (no – about employment in Wagner). I have no family, I did not have time to graduate from the Voronezh Technical University, I studied at a construction technical school, I am not working now. I want find a job in Wagner.

Where will you send me and when?

What equipment and weapons will I have?

How much can I earn every month and how long will I be on the front line?

If I don’t come back, how much will mom get?”

The first response received was pre-recorded with general information. Then followed a voice message from Wagner’s representative, who introduced himself as “Paul.”

“Hello! My name is Pavlo, OIB 0020. Carefully study the instructions, if you meet all the requirements, collect all the documents and come to us for employment. Enter your name, age and phone number. If you have questions, ask them” , – Pavlo told me.

Later I wrote a message to the number indicated in the message. The man who answered this second phone number also introduced himself as “Paul”, only his personal number was different from the first one. I asked him the same questions in order to learn more about the conditions offered to those who would go to the front in Wagner’s units.

“Hello. Private military company “Wagner”. My name is Pavlo. Personal number 40. Read all the instructions, if you meet the criteria, come to us for employment.

You should also know that you will get a weapon, a special uniform and all the necessary equipment.

Monthly salary from 240 thousand rubles (no – 2685 euros). God forbid, in case of death we also pay compensation. When you arrive (not in the part where the recruitment was supposed to take place), you will receive all the information. (without compensation in the event of death) is confidential information of the company and I cannot tell you that right now,” explained the person who identified himself as “Paul”.

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I also noticed that during the conversation with Wagner’s representative, several people could be heard talking in the background, a sign that “Pavlo” was in the office.

I tried to get more information from the representative of the mercenary company. I asked him, for example, how often I would have to shoot people and whether the enemies at the front were really “fascists.” I did not receive answers to these questions.

Instead, when I asked for details about the tasks I would be assigned, I received an evasive response from another man (the voicemail came from a different voice).

“The tasks are different, during employment, when you come, you will learn everything.”

I also asked if I would be in the same place as the convicts (no, Wagner also recruited many inmates from prison, some of whom had committed serious crimes). We have been assured that these individuals are fighting separately from the rest of the soldiers.

What are the “general conditions” for enrolling at Wagner

Wagner recruitment on the streets of Moscow. PHOTO: Vlad Karkov / Zuma Press / Profimedia

The written message I received from Wagner stated that among the general requirements was a passport from any country other than the EU, NATO and Ukraine, or any ID (even a photocopy).

“If you are not able to get to us, we also have recruiting centers where they will interview you, see what your physical condition is, and buy you a ticket to our base. You must be between 22 and 55 years old, and those over 55 will be examined individually,” the private military company said in a statement.

Next, after passing the interview, the candidate was to receive seasonal clothing and equipment. After that, they must undergo military training, which lasts from two to three weeks. I was also informed that food, accommodation and uniforms are provided from the “company account”.

However, candidates must carry personal hygiene products with them, and travel tickets must be with them, since the travel was paid (only on the condition of employment).

Another requirement was that the draftee should bring a copy after the report of a trustee who could receive pay in the owner’s absence. I have to get more information on the spot: “Waiting for your arrival date,” the message also said.

“If you are ready, write in this chat: Name (without surname); Age, contact phone number.

Therefore, we can leave a vacancy for you. Try to write a question to the phones indicated below in WhatsApp or Telegram.”

ADDRESS: Krasnodar region, Molkino village. About 40 km from Krasnodar. In Molkino, at the checkpoint (central entrance to the training ground), ask the servicemen “How to get to Wagner’s company.”

Wagner’s mercenaries, who are accused of atrocities in Ukraine

The Wagner Company is the largest and most important group of mercenaries in Russia. His fighters are stationed in Bakhmut, a strategic point of the war in Ukraine.

In late January, Olga Romanova, head of Russia Behind Bars, which defends Russian convicts, said only 10,000 of the nearly 50,000 mercenaries recruited by Wagner remained in service, suggesting the rest had escaped, been killed or wounded . The United States recognized Wagner’s group as a “significant transnational criminal organization.”

In recent days, the organization founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin found itself at the center of yet another scandal, after several photos of Wagner’s mercenaries beheading Ukrainian soldiers began to circulate on social networks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi reacted to these atrocities: “There is one thing that no one in the world can ignore: how easily these animals kill.”

• Read also: Cruel footage that scandalized Ukraine: Wagner’s mercenary cut off the head of a captured soldier alive / Another video with beheaded Ukrainians at the front appeared on the Internet / Reaction of Zelenskyi and Minister Kuleba