Recruiters and propagandists linked to Russia’s Wagner Group are playing a key role in a Kremlin-organized sabotage campaign across Europe, Western intelligence officials have told the Financial Times.
In a report published on Monday, Feb. 16, the FT cited Western and European intelligence officials as saying that individuals previously involved in recruiting fighters for Wagner have been reassigned to recruit economically vulnerable Europeans to carry out acts of sabotage on NATO territory.
The status of Wagner has been uncertain since its failed mutiny against Russia’s military leadership in June 2023 and the subsequent death of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. However, according to the officials, networks previously used to recruit fighters from Russia’s regions have been repurposed for operations in Europe.
Western intelligence sources told the FT that Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, is using Wagner’s existing recruitment and propaganda infrastructure to find so-called “disposable” agents. These individuals are allegedly tasked with actions ranging from arson attacks on warehouses storing aid for Ukraine to vandalism and disinformation efforts.
Officials said Russia’s domestic security agency, the FSB, is also involved in recruitment efforts, often relying on criminal or diaspora networks. However, Wagner-linked networks were described as particularly effective due to their established online presence and experience in targeting young men through social media platforms, including Telegram.
European security services believe Moscow has expanded sabotage and disruption efforts across the continent over the past two years in an attempt to weaken support for Ukraine and sow instability. Following diplomatic expulsions of Russian operatives from EU countries, the Kremlin has increasingly relied on proxies rather than direct intelligence officers, the report said.
While authorities say some attacks have been carried out, many have been thwarted. Intelligence officials noted that using loosely connected proxy agents allows Russia a degree of deniability but often reduces operational secrecy and effectiveness.