According to sources, mercenaries could try to paralyze Ukraine, for example through assassinations. The groups are also training pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.
To the Russians the strength of mercenaries linked to spies in Ukraine has increased in recent weeks. The news agency Reuters reports on the basis of three Western security sources.
The increase in the number of mercenaries raises concerns in the West that Russia may be planning a staged attack aimed at giving an excuse to attack Ukraine.
According to Reuters sources, the Russian attack could be preceded by cyber attacks targeting critical structures of Ukrainian society, such as the electricity and gas networks.
Russia could also use mercenaries to “sow conflict” and paralyze Ukraine through targeted assassinations, sources say.
“It is likely that Russian mercenaries instructed by the Russian state will interfere in hostilities in Ukraine, possibly as an excuse for the attack,” one source told Reuters anonymously.
Reuters according to sources, the soldiers belong to private pay armies with close links to the security service of the Russian Federation, the FSB, and military intelligence to the GRU.
One of the participants in the operation is a former GRU officer who has also belonged to the so-called Wagner Group. According to sources, the officer has gone to the separatist region of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Reuters did not receive confirmation of the assignment the officer has left.
The Wagner Group is a private mercenary company involved in operations in Mali and the Central African Republic, among others. The group was founded by what is known as “Putin’s chef” Jevgeni Prigožin.
Read more: The identity of the mysterious African leader of the “Putin’s chef” private army revealed – Mazay alias Konstantin Kasakka received his Schengen visa from the Finnish consulate
American The Daily Beast news site according to data, an exceptional number of Wagner soldiers have left the Central African Republic this year. According to the site, the troops are heading to Eastern Europe.
Usually there have been a handful of departures, but there were about twenty departures in January, an official source told The Daily Beast.
Reuters according to sources, Russian wage armies receive arms deliveries and include experienced members who have participated in special operations. The groups are also training pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, sources say.
According to sources, members of the Wagner group have come to the Ukrainian border after practicing at a GRU base near the city of Krasnodar in southern Russia.
According to sources, other Russian mercenary groups linked to the FSB and GRU have also increased their operations in Ukraine this year.
Ukrainian border guards patrolled the Ukrainian-Belarusian border on 13 February in Viltha.
United States warned again on Sundaythat Russia may be planning a possible fake attack inside Ukraine.
The Kremlin told Reuters on Monday that Russia is not increasing its strength in Ukrainian territory and has never had Russian troops there.
Russia has also repeatedly denied allegations that it is planning an attack on Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin has denied that the Wagner Group or other private forces represent or receive payments from the Russian state. However, he said, they have the right to act as long as they do not violate Russian law.
Last year, the European Union imposed sanctions on the Wagner Group, accusing it of inciting violence, among other things.
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