BBC correspondent Ilya Barabanov learned from the mercenary “PMC Wagner” about how the recruitment goes, who can be denied employment and what happens on business trips. Interview recorded in 2021.

As the BBC reported, with the outbreak of war in Ukraine, a large recruitment of mercenaries opened up at Wagner, and many of the restrictions that existed before were lifted. Over the past few weeks, there have been many reports that the fighters of the group are participating in battles in Ukraine along with the Russian military. The activities of PMC Wagner first became known during the operation in the Donbass in 2015.

According to the latest data, Wagner operations are taking place in Syria, Libya , and the Central African Republic. The presence of Wagner in Sudan and Mozambique is also reported.

Despite the fact that mercenarism is illegal in Russia, Vladimir Putin and Sergey Lavrov acknowledged the presence of Russian mercenaries in various countries abroad.

Ilya Barabanov’s interview with an anonymous employee of Wagner PMC was recorded several months before the start of the war in Ukraine.