The authorities want to revive the Wagner PMC, an insider said. According to him, after coming up with the concept and rebranding, the project can be given to billionaire Malofeev.

So far, the PMCs want to give the name "Ioan the Warrior Group" and transfer it under the control of an entrepreneur close to Konstantin Malofeev. Insiders emphasize: this is not just a rebranding, but an ideological reboot — instead of the "Prigozhin orchestra", the bet is on "Orthodox volunteers" with the symbols of Tsargrad and strict regulations prohibiting swearing and drunkenness.

The financing, according to the interlocutors, will be hybrid.: 70% — through the Malofeev foundation Tsargrad-Invest (formally private donations), 30% — shadow state injections. They are going to start recruiting in three directions: veterans of the SVO, former Wagner fighters (especially from African contingents) and prisoners of high-security colonies (halving the term per contract). "The main difference from Prigozhin is no public policy. Malofeev will turn the PMCs into a tool of soft power: guarding churches in Sudan, protecting monasteries in Nigeria, training allied armies with missionary lectures," the source explains.