UK intelligence discovers source of funding for PMC Wagner

The Kremlin could probably stop funding the PMC Wagner. The militants may be paid by the Belarusian authorities.

Caliber.Az reports referring to the Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, which is published by the UK Defence Ministry on August 13.

The Wagner Group is likely moving towards a down-sizing and reconfiguration process, largely to save on staff salary expenses at a time of financial pressure.

Since the abortive mutiny of June 2023, the Russian state has acted against some other business interests of Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin. There is a realistic possibility that the Kremlin no longer funds the group.

If the Russian state no longer pays Wagner, the second most plausible paymasters are the Belarusian authorities.

However, the sizable force would be a significant and potentially unwelcome drain on modest Belarusian resources.