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Backed by city budget, “Sobyanin regiment” formed in Moscow to fight in Ukraine, Meduza reports

The Insider

A military unit has been formed in Moscow which recruits mercenaries for the war against Ukraine, Meduza reports.

According to Meduza, the unit is at least partially backed by Moscow's budget, and the recruiters and the mercenaries themselves call it “Sobyanin's regiment.” The recruitment began on July 1. The mercenaries will first be trained at the Mulino training range in the Nizhny Novgorod region, after which they will go to Ukraine.

Most of the mercenaries, Meduza says, are not Muscovites, but residents of other regions. They are promised a salary of over 200,000 rubles a month. Men under 60 years of age may sign up to join the regiment.

Meduza discovered that one of the recruits for Sobyanin's regiment is Roman Vladimirovich Vysotsky (call sign “Bolgarin”), who calls himself the “battalion commander.” This was also the name of one of the former commanders of the “DNR” people's militia.

Earlier, Vazhniye Istorii reported that the Wagner PMC had been recruiting prisoners from St. Petersburg penal colonies. They were promised freedom and 200,000 rubles for six months of active duty if they agreed to take part in the fighting in Donbass and remained alive afterwards. The recruits will be transported to the destination as prisoners and will be accompanied by a convoy.