A video of a brutal execution has been circulating on social media for a few days. Shortly thereafter, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin celebrated this.
The founder of the Russian mercenary group Wagner has denied any involvement of Wagner mercenaries in the brutal execution of a suspected deserter in Ukraine. “The Wagner employees are characterized by excellent discipline and strict compliance with international standards and globally recognized rules of conduct,” said Kremlin confidante Yevgeny Prigozhin on Tuesday.
Instead, Prigozhin blamed the CIA for the violence. The US secret service “kidnaps people all over the world, including Russian citizens,” explained the Wagner founder, urging Russian prosecutors to launch an investigation.
“I hope no animals were harmed during the shooting”
On Sunday, Prigozhin praised a video showing the alleged deserter being brutally killed with a hammer. The “exciting” video was a “great achievement,” said Prigozhin, adding: “I hope no animals were injured during the shooting.”
The video appeared in channels related to the Wagner Group in online networks. According to the Russian organization Gulagu.net, which works for prisoners, the victim is ex-prisoner Yevgeny Nushin, who was recruited in a penal colony to fight in Ukraine. There he defected to the Ukrainian army, but was then caught by Russia again.
Already killed prisoner with hammer in 2017
Mercenaries from the Wagner paramilitary group have been deployed in many conflict regions for years, especially in Syria and African countries. Kremlin confidant Prigozhin only publicly admitted in September that he had founded the long-secret group. In October, it opened an official headquarters in St. Petersburg.
According to the Russian newspaper “Novaya Gazeta”, Wagner mercenaries had already killed a prisoner in Syria in 2017 with a hammer and then dismembered and burned him.
