The Russian paramilitary organization the Wagner Group appears to be trying to recruit disillusioned American patriots to its ranks in their latest propaganda video circulating on the internet.
Several social media accounts on Monday reposted the propaganda video, which appears to be made by the Wagner Private Military Company (Wagner PMC), a group of mercenaries heavily involved in Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine. The video features the Wagner Group’s logo as well as its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, posing among the ruins of the captured Soledar, the city forced to be abandoned by Ukrainian forces by the advancing Russian army last week.
The video, accompanied by Russian subtitles and English language narration (with a heavy Russian accent), appears to be specifically targeting Republican veterans who are disillusioned with the American political system. It begins with footage of U.S. soldiers fighting throughout the Middle East. “You were a hero to your country. You dreamed of defeating evil,” the narrator says, before invoking Trump’s campaign motto, making obvious who the target audience is: “You dreamed of doing much to make America great again.”
“But in reality,” the narration continues, “you saw criminal orders, the destruction of nations, the death of civilians, and all for the will of a bunch of families, who thought they were earthly gods—deciding who would live under their rule and who would be destroyed.” And while showing images about the January 6th Capitol riot and (presumably) the George Floyd protests, it adds that “This is not the America the Founding Fathers dreamed of.” Then comes footage of WWII-era German Nazi supporters forming a giant swastika, directly followed by Ukrainian far-right protesters and the insignia of the Azov Battalion, all meant to be part of the same “evil, that is destroying the whole world.”
Then comes the actual recruitment message, but not before making clear on whose behalf. “The only country fighting this evil is Russia,” the video states. Then it continues, perhaps unaware of the paradox within: “If you’re a true patriot of the future Great America, join the ranks of the warriors of Russia!” The video ends with images of a nuclear detonation, as the narrator says, “Help defeat evil, or it will be too late for everyone!”
The Wagner PMC had about five thousand members prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but their numbers began to grow steadily as the fighting progressed. Currently, Wagner oversees more than 50,000 troops in Ukraine (including 10,000 mercenaries and 40,000 former Russian inmates, who joined the group in exchange for reduced sentences). The Wagner Group “has become a key component of the Ukraine campaign,” said the UK Ministry of Defense earlier.
Constant advertising for recruits is part of Wagner’s strategy. In Russia, the group recruits in all major cities using billboards, but they are also present on social and conventional media platforms, as the state-run Russian media hails them as a ‘patriotic organization.’
A few weeks ago, reports emerged that the Wagner Group is actively recruiting in other countries as well, including Serbia and dozens of African nations. The U.S. State Department then said that Washington was working to end the organization’s foreign recruitment activities.
However, this is the first time the Wagner Group tries to recruit American citizens. The effectiveness of the propaganda video is questionable, since Wagner PMC is considered a terrorist organization in Washington, so any Americans answering the call would have a good chance of losing citizenship and facing jail time.
