Armenian politician: Wagner is already in Armenia

Zhirayr Sefilyan, member of the board of the National Democratic Pole, said that “Wagnerites” had arrived in Armenia.

“There is information that ‘Wagnerites’ arrived in Armenia. This is reliable information. We even know where they are located, we know who the person in charge of them met at the Ani Hotel three days ago. These are well-known faces, but I will not name them now,” Sefilyan said, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Armenian media.

Wagner is a private military company established by Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2014.

Although mercenary forces are illegal in Russia, Wagner registered as a "private military company" in 2022.

Prigozhin was a wealthy businessman and convicted criminal, known as "Putin's chef" because he provided catering for the Kremlin.

Wagner's first field commander was Dmitry Utkin, a former officer in Russia's special forces. He said the group was named after his radio call sign.

Most Wagner mercenaries initially came from Russia's elite regiments and special forces, and the group was thought to number about 5,000.

However, in 2022, Prigozhin recruited prisoners from Russian jails to fight for Wagner in Ukraine, in exchange for pardons. In June, he said there were 25,000 Wagner fighters.

The group has also been operating in Syria, Mali, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Libya.