Russian mercenary Wagner Group has up to 50,000 fighters under its command in Ukraine, according to the daily intelligence update published on Friday by the UK Ministry of Defence.
According to British military experts, mercenaries have now become a "key element" in the war in Ukraine.
At the end of December 2022, the paramilitary organisation Wagner was officially registered as a company, with management consulting as a declared activity, the British also report.
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Paramilitary activities are not mentioned. Private military or security companies are in fact illegal in Russia.
Wagner’s boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, financed the troops partly with public money from government contracts ` won through his other companies.
"The registration may be aimed at maximising Prigozhin’s commercial profits and further legitimising the organisation."
