Russian mercenary group Wagner plans to recruit 30,000 more fighters, targets Kremlin officials as scapegoats.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Russia's Wagner private military group, announced plans to recruit about 30,000 new fighters by mid-May, claiming that the group recruits about 500 to 800 people on average per day. Wagner is known for its blunt and brutal tactics and has sustained major losses in the conflict around the city of Bakhmut. The group has focused on recruiting mercenaries from sports clubs, boxing gyms, and other gyms, as well as men who have previously completed six-month contracts and could be rehired.