Large elements of the Wagner Group mercenary group are likely serving in Russia’s National Guard, says the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
Rosgvardiya’s national guard is thought to be led by Pavel Prigozhin, the son of the late Yevgeny Prigozhin - the Wagner leader who died in a plane crash in August of this year soon after the rebel group captured Rostov-on-Don.
Other Wagner fighters are likely to have joined Redut, another Private Military Company, which have a total of 7,000 personnel, say the Ministry of Defence.
Wagner group fighters also joined Chechen Akhmat special forces and 170 former Wagner fighters had already joined Akhmat, according to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
The UK government describes the Wagner mercenary group as a terrorist organisation.
It comes as Volodymyr Zelensky has described Kherson as a “symbol of heroism and hope” on the day the city marks one year since Ukraine retook it from occupying Russian forces.