Two Wagnerites on trial in Krakow for distributing recruitment flyers

The Krakow District Court has started the trial of two Russian nationals who were hired by the Wagner Group, an infamous Russian PMC, to distribute flyers in Krakow, urging people to join the organisation.

As reported by RMF24, Andrei G. and Aleksei T. have been charged with involvement in foreign intelligence activities and participation in an international armed group with the intent to commit acts of terror.

The two Russians allegedly participated in the recruitment process for new members of the Wagner Group and distributed stickers with QR codes to facilitate enlistment in the organisation.

Both defendants were present in court. One stated that he had worked as a factory director before his arrest, while the other admitted to being unemployed.

The indictment was filed in June by the prosecutor for the Małopolska Department on Organised Crime. The case materials amount to 600 pages.

It is known that one of the defendants denies his guilt and refused to give testimony. Both men allegedly operated in Poland, specifically in Krakow and Warsaw, as well as in other European Union countries, including Berlin and Paris.

"We took the Wagner Group flyers in Moscow. We were supposed to put up 3,000 flyers in Krakow and Warsaw, but we managed to put up only 200.. We were instructed to photograph them after putting up. I didn’t want to be involved in propaganda; I just wanted to make money," one of the Russians said in court.

The men were arrested by the ABW, the country’s Internal Security Agency, in Warsaw in August 2023. They face up to 10 years in prison.

Prior to this arrest, stickers urging people to join the Wagner Group had appeared in Krakow.

The Wagner Group, financed by the Kremlin (as acknowledged by Vladimir Putin), has operated as an informal armed extension of the Russian military since 2014, under the auspices of Russian military intelligence.

Wagnerites were present in Ukraine during the annexation of Crimea and were active in Donbas in 2014. They later appeared in Syria and Africa. With the start of the full-scale war, they were integrated into Russian military operations during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.