Wagner mercenary group tells convicts to fight or die

The notorious Wagner mercenary group is said to be using brutal tactics on inmates who have joined Russia’s war on Ukraine in exchange for their freedom.

Wagner mercenaries are heavily involved in the battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Picture: Reuters/The Times

Russian convicts fighting with the notorious Wagner Group mercenaries in Ukraine could face execution if they deviate from battlefield plans, the British defence ministry has said.

Up to 35,000 have been deployed, according to Olga Romanova, a prisoners’ rights activist. Wagner is headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a catering tycoon with links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the catering tycoon who runs Wagner, used to be known as Putin’s chef. Picture: AP/The Times

Its fighters are involved in the battle for Bakhmut, a town in eastern Ukraine that has witnessed some of the bloodiest battles in the 10 months since the war began.

The group is said to have developed tactics in recent months to take full advantage of the influx of poorly trained recruits.

Fighters are issued with smartphones or tablets that outline their routes and assault objectives, while commanders use drone imagery to monitor the fighting from a distance, the MoD said in a briefing.

“Individuals and sections are ordered to proceed, often with fire support but less often alongside armoured vehicles. Operatives who deviate from their assault routes without authorisation are likely being threatened with summary execution.

“These brutal tactics aim to conserve Wagner’s rare assets of experienced commanders and armoured vehicles, at the expense of the more readily available convict-recruits, which the organisation assesses as expendable.”

In September Prigozhin, 61, offered inmates in the Mari El region, 800km east of Moscow, their freedom in exchange for a six-month tour of duty in Ukraine. He warned that anyone who deserted would be shot.

The Wagner headquarters in St Petersburg. The group is said to have developed tactics to make full use of poorly trained recruits. Picture: Reuters/The Times

Romanova said last month that at least 40 convicts had already been executed on Prigozhin’s orders. “And he will get away with this,” she said.

“When prison service officials are asked about the whereabouts of prisoners they say this is a state secret.”

Last month a video showing the killing of a former Russian mercenary who defected to Ukraine was posted to a Wagner-linked Telegram channel. Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, was shown being bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer by a man in combat gear.

Prigozhin called the video “excellent directorial work that’s watchable in one sitting”.

He denied, however, that Wagner fighters had killed Nuzhin.

The Times