Syrian military intelligence during the rebellion of Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin conducted an operation together with the Russian military to convince the mercenaries stationed there to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense. It is reported by Reuters, citing sources.
The mercenaries have been in Syria since 2015, when the Russian military began to participate in the war. According to Reuters interlocutors, now there are from 250 to 400 people who are guarding oil fields.
Saudi channel Al-Hadath, three days after the mutiny, claimed that four Wagner PMC commanders were detained in Syria. Representatives of the mercenaries denied this.
According to Syrian sources, Reuters, by June 24, the mercenaries were required to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense with cut salaries, and “Syrian military intelligence and the Russian military worked together to isolate and expose control of Wagner mercenaries.
“The operation included turning off telephone communications, sending a dozen Wagner PMC commanders to to the Russian base [in Khmeimim] and an ultimatum to the mercenaries — to sign new contracts with the Ministry of Defense or leave Syria in a hurry,” the news agency reports. Ilyushin, Reuters sources added. In the Flightradar24 service, journalists found data on three flights between the province of Latakia, where the Russian base in Khmeimim is located, and the capital of Mali, Bamako.