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7:17 p.m

Wagner denies presence and recruitment in Serbia

The Wagner Group denied its presence in Serbia and the recruitment of Serbian fighters into its ranks, as it has been reported several times in various media outlets recently. “The Russian private military company, Wagner, never visited Serbia and had no contact with that country,” the Belgrade newspaper Vecernje Novosti quoted the founder and military commander of the Wagner company, Evgeny Prigozhin, as saying. He added: “In our company – he added – there are currently no Serbian citizens. Therefore, all rumors about Wagner’s cooperation with Serbia are baseless ».

The newspaper reported what Prigozhin had said in response to a specific question by Voice of America regarding Wagner’s alleged activity in Serbia, including the recruitment of Serbian citizens. According to various media, at the end of December, Wagner had opened a branch in Belgrade and, through some websites, would be recruiting Serb fighters for the Russian-Ukrainian front. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in a television interview in recent days, criticized the initiative of some Russian websites that publish advertisements in which the Wagner Group calls on Serb volunteers to join their forces to fight in Ukraine.

Vucic said, “Why do you call out from Wagner for Serbian volunteers when you know it’s against our laws?” Prigozhin, according to Vecernje Novosti reports, meanwhile denied rumors and reports of the presence of Wagner’s militia last December in northern Kosovo, during the acute phases of protest by local Serbs with barricades and barricades. “As far as we know, only the Serbs solve their problems. I wish them success and prosperity,” Prigozhin said in response to a specific question from the Voice of America.