In May, an Italian TV journalist asked Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about the role of the private military company Wagner in the Russian offensive in Donbas.. The Russian minister dismissed this question, emphasizing that there were allegedly no Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine and they had nothing to do with the Russian state..

But Ukrainian commanders say Russian mercenaries have proven indispensable to some of Russia's successes in Donbas, writes the Wall Street Journal.. The publication adds that in the past Russian state media have been ordered to downplay the Wagner Group.. But now the Russian press is replete with reports about the " The owner of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is also called " Advertisements for mercenaries can be seen on billboards in some major Russian cities.

In total, the company, operating under the name " Now mercenaries are recruited even in prisons throughout the Russian Federation, trying to compensate for heavy losses.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Moscow relies heavily on the Wagner Group because elite Russian military units have been defeated in battles on the outskirts of Kyiv..

“The Russian Federation has big problems with motivated units. The only motivation left is money. There is no one in them to carry out assaults and breakthroughs.. And Wagner is the only combat unit for them that does it without question, even if it loses 10-15% of its personnel in each mission,” Viktor Yagun, former deputy chairman of the SBU, told the publication..

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Wagner soldiers are paid much better than regular Russian army soldiers. Mercenaries receive $5,790 per month, as well as $2,500-$11,000 in bonuses depending on the success of the missions and their role in carrying out these tasks, according to the GUR data, seen by the Wall Street Journal.. Also, " Wagner's social media ad says it's offering payouts starting at $4,200.

In May, the main Russian offensive in the Donbass bogged down near the town of Izyum. And the Russian attempt to cross the Seversky Donets River ended in disaster. Then the mercenaries were eventually able to break through the Ukrainian fortifications near the town of Popasna. After that, the Russian army was able to develop the offensive and capture Severodonetsk and Lisichansk. In July, it was the Wagner mercenaries who captured the Uglegorsk thermal power plant, and now they are trying to break through the Ukrainian defense line near Bakhmut.

" But their level of preparation is palpable. It's not just Russian infantry. They understand intelligence, it can be seen from the way they move.. They also know how to call in artillery or air support,” said Ukrainian captain Oleksandr Buntov.. He commands a reconnaissance detachment that engaged in close combat with Russian mercenaries in Popasna and later near Lisichansk..

For the first time, Wagner mercenaries entered the war against Ukraine in the Donbass in early 2014.. But over the past 8 years, they have been more involved in the wars in Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic.. There, their services were used by pro-Russian leaders who were ready to exchange the help of mercenaries for the rich natural resources of their own states..

“They are professional killers who work together. And this is not the first war for them,” said Oleksiy Danilov, head of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine..

Unlike other private military companies fighting against Ukraine (Redut and Patriot), Wagner has its own tanks, heavy artillery, air defense and MLRS. Mercenaries also own combat fighters. Near Popasna, the Ukrainian army shot down at least two planes flown by mercenaries. One of them turned out to be a retired Russian major general, and the other a retired Belarusian colonel.. In the war against Ukraine, Wagner is subordinate to the general military command of the unit of the Russian army that is responsible for a specific sector. Mercenaries are integrated into the Russian logistics network, the GUR says.

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“It is wrong to call them a private military company. Wagner is another way to serve in the Russian army,” Yagun said..

Wagner's recent publicity is partly dictated by the need to find new fighters after heavy losses in the Donbass.. Although quite often mercenaries die just because of the desire to be visible in the media space. The Ukrainian army smashed the Wagner base in Popasna on Saturday because Prigozhin took some photos there. Russian journalists published the pictures, and the Ukrainian artillery was able to pinpoint the building where the Russian mercenaries were stationed.. The administrator of the Wagner Telegram channel was among those killed in the Ukrainian strike.