Wagner Group assigned new mission: FSB prepares further special operations
Photo: fighters of the Wagner Group (Getty Images)
Russian intelligence services have stepped up operations across Europe, leveraging networks of former members of the Wagner Group to recruit operatives for sabotage missions. According to Western sources, this involves the use of so-called "one-time agents," according to a publication by the Financial Times.
Read also: Russian flag and Wagner logo spotted at site in Bulgaria
Russian intelligence and the FSB are increasingly deploying former Wagner Group operatives to recruit collaborators across European countries. According to Western sources, ex-recruiters, previously responsible for sending Russians to fight in Ukraine, have been tasked with identifying economically vulnerable individuals in the EU to carry out intelligence and sabotage missions.
Recruitment focuses on people willing to perform assignments for payment, ranging from arson to distributing extremist materials. Following the mass expulsion of Russian diplomats from multiple EU capitals, Moscow has sought alternative channels to maintain influence, relying on local-language skills, channels, and other online platforms to reach marginalized groups.
Experts warn that this model increases the risk of sabotage and violent acts on EU and NATO territory, although many attempts are detected and stopped by security services.
For context, Ukrainian counterintelligence and the State Bureau of Investigation previously uncovered a forest ranger assistant in Kharkiv Oblast collaborating with Wagner operatives during the spring 2022 battles for Izyum, including firing on Ukrainian military vehicles.
Additionally, two former GRU servicemen and Wagner contractors were found on a Russian “shadow fleet” tanker attacked by Ukraine in the Mediterranean, reportedly involved in intelligence operations in European waters.
