The death of the mercenary group’s leader has created a window of opportunity in the Central African Republic for Western powers to offer an alternative.
A force led by President Vladimir Putin’s former bodyguard is trying to recruit veterans of the paramilitary force, which mutinied against Russian military leaders and saw its leader killed in a plane crash.
Hundreds of experienced fighters have joined Kyiv’s ranks to improve their financial fortunes, reflecting the recruitment struggles faced by both sides of the conflict.
The Russian president said grenade fragments were found in the bodies recovered from the crash site after the Wagner mercenary leader’s plane went down in August.