Great Britain reports that fighters of the controversial mercenary group “Wagner” are fighting for Russia in Ukraine. But Moscow has always denied any connection to “Wagner” – not only because of torture and targeted killings, which the unit is accused of.
Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group are deployed in eastern Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense reports on Twitter. It estimates that more than 1,000 mercenaries could be sent to Ukraine for combat operations – including leaders of the organization.
Reports of the group’s existence first surfaced at the start of the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, when “Wagner” fighters supported pro-Russian separatists. Since then, the mercenary troupe has gained the worst possible reputation – and almost a kind of mysticism, which is nourished by secrecy on the one hand and glorification of their lifestyle on social media on the other. The group is also recruiting new mercenaries via social media – even more so since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
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An estimated 10,000 fighters are said to have been deployed for Russia in crisis regions such as Syria, Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic and Mali. The evidence suggests that it is some kind of Putin’s private army that does the dirty work for Russia where Moscow cannot or will not send regular troops. The “Wagner” mercenaries are accused of serious violations of human rights, including torture and targeted killings.
Russia denies “Group Wagner”
The commander is Dmitri Utkin, about whose career little is known. According to research by Russian media, which was still independent at the time, Utkin commanded a special unit of the GRU military intelligence service as a lieutenant colonel – until he left the Russian army in 2013. He has been hired out as a mercenary since 2014 and commands the unit that has given itself the nickname “Wagner”. The name refers to Adolf Hitler’s favorite composer, Richard Wagner. Utkin is said to have various Nazi tattoos on his torso.
In that, a “Wagner” dropout divides the fighters into three categories. First: Men who cannot imagine any other life. “They are born mercenaries. This job is the only way they want to live and earn their money,” says an actor, repeating the interview answers of an anonymous ex-mercenary. “Category two: people without hope. They don’t know what else to live on. They come because they have no other choice,” said the ex-mercenary. “And category three: romantics. Dreamers looking for an adrenaline rush who also want to serve their fatherland.”
“Wagner” fighters in Ukraine?
If this categorization of the “Wagner” mercenaries is correct, it should hardly come as a surprise that such serious allegations against the unit exist. If the information from the British Ministry of Defense is confirmed, the Ukrainian army can expect nothing good from these mercenaries.
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Source: Stern
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