Moscow: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner group of Russian mercenaries, stated in a voicemail released on Monday that while fighter recruitment is not currently taking place, it is likely to do so in the future.

The Kremlin announced that Wagner and some of his fighters, who have participated in some of the fiercest battles of the Ukraine War, would depart for Belarus after he led a brief mutiny against the Russian defence establishment in late June.

Despite this, Prigozhin was spotted last week in St. Petersburg, where President Vladimir Putin was hosting African leaders, and he attended a meeting with Putin five days after the mutiny.

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Our next tasks are being defined today, and they are taking on a more defined outline. Unquestionably, these are tasks that will be completed in honour of Russia's greatness, the message's Prigozhin-like voice said. It was posted on Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel Grey Zone.

Following the June mutiny, the Kremlin announced that non-participating Wagner fighters would join the regular army and sign contracts with the defence ministry.

Prigozhin appeared to be alluding to this when he stated in the voicemail that "unfortunately" some of his fighters had left for other "power structures," but that they intended to come back.

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We don't intend to conduct a new recruitment as long as there isn't a staffing shortage, according to Prigozhin.

However, if you stay in touch with us, we'll be very grateful, and we'll start recruiting as soon as the Motherland needs to form a new organisation that can defend our nation's interests.

Since the mutiny, some Wagner combatants have relocated to Belarus and are educating that nation's military. Prigozhin also stated that Wagner was prepared to further expand its presence in Africa in remarks that were published last week.

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Western governments are concerned about its presence there, particularly with regard to its assistance to the governments of Mali and the Central African Republic. It has been sanctioned by the US as a criminal organisation and accused of committing widespread atrocities.

According to Prigozhin, it complies with the laws of the nations in which it conducts business. He appeared to be appealing for his fighters to impose order there last week as he hailed a military coup in the west African nation of Niger.