In an interview, fighters from the Russian mercenary group said they were recruited from jail, sent to fight in Ukraine and shown violent videos of alleged traitors being executed.
DONETSK REGION, Ukraine — The two men lay on the dirty tile floor of an empty office, still in their bloodied combat fatigues and bandages. One dozed without a pillow under a blanket; the other stretched out with a tourniquet strapped above the knee of his blood-soaked pants.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves around the world as millions of refugees fled the country, grain shipments were delayed and Russian gas curtailed. The Washington Post was able to independently verify key parts of the two captives’ accounts in Russian public databases, including birth certificates and criminal records of two men with the same first and last names, which were consistent with their stories. Other assertions could not be independently confirmed.
Ilya, 30, a tree cutter with two daughters from the Smolensk Region, said he had been serving six years for “drunk driving” after wrecking his motorcycle while intoxicated and killing his brother, a passenger. Court records in Smolensk confirm that someone with his name was convicted of “driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated … which negligently caused the death of a person.
Before taking up his Kalashnikov assault rifle, Ilya went through a short stint of infantry training in a stretch of occupied Ukrainian forest with Wagner professionals who had fought in Syria and Africa. Neither he nor Mikhail saw any sign of regular Russian military units in their time fighting with Wagner.Ilya was one of the fighters responsible for locating Ukrainian troops.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Wagner Head Draws Back From Feud With Russian Military Over Group’s Losses in UkraineWagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said only a fraction of his fighters would have been killed if Russia’s military had provided them with enough ammunition
Read more »
How Wagner Group Is Using Pop Culture to Recruit New Russian FightersWatch: The Kremlin-linked Wagner mercenary group has been glorified on the big screen and social media. Here’s how the company leading Russia’s attack in western Ukraine uses pop-culture to find new recruits.
Read more »
Wagner mercenary group founder accuses Russian defense ministry of 'treason'For Russia, conflict in Ukraine is causing conflict back at home. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, accused top members of the Russian Defense Ministry of “treason', citing poor outcomes in Ukraine among other grievances.
Read more »
Wagner chief blasts 'treason' of Russian military leadersWagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launches verbal attacks against top Russian military leaders, accusing them of depriving his fighters of munitions in Ukraine and calling it a treasonous attempt to 'destroy' his group
Read more »
War of words between Russian military and Wagner boss heats upYevgeny Prigozhin has accused Russia's Defense Ministry of treason by intentionally not providing his troops with ammunition.
Read more »