Wagnerians have twice as much salary as Russian soldiers.
Izvor: Youtube/screenshot/DW
The private mercenary group Wagner, owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been doing business with the Kremlin for almost a decade. As Wagner’s unit became more and more famous on the battlefield in Ukraine, Prigozhin’s criticism of the Russian military leadership became louder.
Tensions between Prigozhin and the Kremlin reached a peak over the past weekend. Prigozhin then made the dramatic decision to direct his fighters towards Moscow instead of forward to halt an advance that could have led to a critical confrontation with the Russian army.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced an agreement under which Prigozhin would go to Belarus and no one who participated in the armed rebellion would be charged. Portal Kvarc published what the salaries of Wagner’s mercenaries are compared to the salaries of Russian soldiers.
Wagner has become a powerful player
It is important to note that private military companies (PMK) they are technically not legal under the Russian constitution. However, this group, which is under the sanctions of the United States of America, the European Union, Australia, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom, shows that the Kremlin is indeed cooperating with private armies.
The losses Wagner suffered may not be officially acknowledged, and their torture tactics may fly under the radar. Also, foreign countries can contribute with their financial resources to support the operation of this unit in various conflicts. Wagner became a power player as he operated in the shadows making large financial deals in poor, conflict-torn countries with ‘generous’ payments to thousands of new mercenaries.
How much do mercenaries earn, and how much do Russian soldiers earn?
Kvarz reported the amount of cash incentive Wagner is giving them to join the group. It is about the amount of 200,000 rubles, which is about 3,000 euros.
The average salary offered to Russian military personnel ranges from 70,000 to 100,000 thousand rubleswhich is an amount in the range of 800 do 1.200 evra. In the event that Wagner’s soldier dies, his family receives five million rubles, which is about 50,000 euros. Last year, 30,000 people approached Wagner when recruiting in Russian prisons. Prigogine claims that Wagner recruits 500 to 800 soldiers daily.
Quartz reports that Wagner’s number of mercenaries has increased by 20,000 since the invasion of Ukraine began last February. During four years, even before the war in Ukraine, Wagner earned 250 million dollars from the companies he cooperates with, according to a Financial Times investigation. They received the money in exchange for providing services to a number of weak and war-torn countries in Africa and the Middle East.
(WORLD)