Mercenary shoots at police officers
Wagner fighter claims to have confused Russians with Ukrainians
December 9th, 2022, 7:40 p.m
In a Russian city, an attack on a police patrol causes a stir. The shooter is a fighter of the Wagner group. But why does he open fire on his compatriots? The mercenary provides an explanation. It is unclear whether Wagner boss Prigozhin will be satisfied with this.
A fighter from the Wagner mercenary group, who is said to have opened fire on a police patrol in a Russian town not far from the Ukrainian border a few days ago, justified his act in court with a mistaken identity. According to media close to the Kremlin, Pavel Nikolin said he had confused the Russian officials with Ukrainians. The 38-year-old is said to have shot at a group of police officers in the city of Novoshakhtinsk, which belongs to the Russian border region of Rostov, on Tuesday, injuring one of them. The man was arrested a day later.
According to the Russian telegram channel Baza, which is known for its good contacts with the security forces, Nikolin is a former prisoner. Accordingly, he was serving a sentence in a Russian prison for theft and robbery when he was recruited by the Wagner mercenary group for the war in Ukraine. Arriving in the combat area, the man is said to have deserted, according to the report.
The group, which is widely reported to be recruiting new mercenaries in prisons and other places, has repeatedly threatened deserters with brutal retaliation. A few weeks ago, a former combatant who is said to have taken captivity in Ukraine was found dead after his return to Russia executed with a sledgehammer in front of the camera. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group’s founder and a confidant of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, welcomed the murder of the “traitor,” as he called the former combatant.
Wagner boss Prigozhin initiates his own investigations
According to the state news agency TASS, Nikolin, who has to answer in court for the attack on police officers, said he did not desert but fell behind his unit. The 38-year-old said he got lost and didn’t realize how he crossed the border. When asked why he shot the police officers, the man replied that he thought they were Ukrainians. “They weren’t wearing a uniform, didn’t show any documents and started chasing me,” explained Nikolin. The 38-year-old confirmed, according to the report, that he is a member of the mercenary group, but declined to answer any questions.
As reported by the state media, criminal proceedings have been initiated against Nikolin for assaulting law enforcement officers and illegal arms trafficking. Mercenary chief Prigozhin announced his own investigations.