Russian Media Report Wagner PMC Recruiting Gamers For War

Especially those who play flight simulators.

The private military company “Wagner”, which is recognized as an international criminal organization, offers fans of computer games to sign up as mercenaries and go to war in Ukraine or Africa. This was reported in Telegram on June 19 by the Russian publication Verstka.

Wagnerites are trying to find those who want to become a technician or drone operator among gamers, the newspaper writes. On June 19, corresponding messages were sent from the account of the PMC in the Russian social network VKontakte banned in Ukraine. Among the requirements, according to Verstka, are physical fitness, good computer skills and age up to 35 years.

A plus for a mercenary candidate in the Wagner PMC was the experience of computer games, especially the experience of controlling flight simulators on joysticks.

“Those who just sit and play for hours,” the Wagnerites described a perfect candidate.

Verstka journalists, under the guise of applicants, contacted the PMC recruiter at the number indicated in the message. The publication said that in addition to the standard questions about age, criminal record and diseases, during a conversation, the mercenaries-to-be are asked what kind of devices they want to work on.

“We have two types of UAVs: copters and more serious things,” a PMC representative said, also asking where the candidate would prefer to “work” — in Ukraine or Africa.

The recruiter from Wagner, according to the newspaper, confirmed that the lack of experience, including military service, is not a problem for the candidate.