Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The Wagner Group has gone under the radar for a long time – but now, they seem to be activated by the Kremlin.
Russia is adjusting how it conducts covert operations across Europe, according to Western intelligence officials.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a new approach appears to rely on familiar networks while distancing the Kremlin from direct involvement.
Western intelligence sources told the Financial Times on February 15 that former recruiters linked to the Wagner Group are now helping organize sabotage missions in Europe on Moscow’s behalf. The recruiters previously enlisted Russians to fight in Ukraine but are said to have shifted their focus.
According to the FT, Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, is using Wagner’s existing recruitment channels across Europe while keeping what officials described as at least two layers of separation from operatives. The arrangement is intended to preserve plausible deniability.
Sources cited by the newspaper said recruiters are targeting Europeans who are “economically vulnerable” or feel adrift, encouraging them to carry out arson attacks or impersonate Nazi sympathizers to spread instability.
Shifting recruitment tactics
The reported changes follow earlier indications that Russia’s sabotage efforts in Europe slowed in 2025. Analysts previously suggested the Kremlin was reassessing its strategy.
In August 2025, Bloomberg reported that U.S. and European officials believed the decline stemmed partly from Moscow’s attempts to tighten control over local criminal networks it had relied on. Several operatives had been arrested and prosecuted, making recruitment more difficult.
Officials also indicated at the time that the GRU had diverted resources away from European operations to concentrate on the war in Ukraine.
Reasserting state control
Moscow began moving to bring Wagner and other irregular formations under firmer state oversight in late 2022. That effort intensified after Wagner’s brief mutiny in June 2023.
ISW notes that the latest intelligence assessments suggest the GRU may now be repurposing former Wagner elements to handle operations in Europe. This could free up its own personnel and assets for use in Ukraine.
Western officials warn that Russia could escalate sabotage activity again in 2026, potentially replacing unreliable criminal intermediaries with individuals motivated primarily by financial incentives.
Sources: Financial Times, Bloomberg, Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
