Wagner boss Prigozhin releases 5,000 Wagner prisoners in Russia

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Von: Bona Hyun

Wagner-Chef Prigoschi begandigt 5000 Söldner. © Evgeniy Maloletka/dpa

According to Wagner boss Prigoshin, he released the next few prisoners. He boasts about the good upbringing of the mercenaries.

Moscow – Fight for Impunity: In Ukraine war are numerous recruits of notorious Wagner mercenaries drawn to the battlefield only to be pardoned afterwards. The first batch was released in early January, and according to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigoshin, more than 5,000 other convicts of the group followed.

Wagner boss Prigozhin pardons 5,000 Wagner prisoners for serving in the Ukraine war

Prigozhin announced that the prisoners had fulfilled their contracts for the mercenary force. Only 0.31 percent of these previously convicted war returnees had reoffended in the first month, said the 61-year-old on the Telegram-Channel his press service. Accordingly, they mostly became violent against opponents of the war in Russia. “We reduced crime in Russia to a tenth and educated the former prisoners better than the pioneers in Soviet times,” Prigozhin claimed.

According to estimates by the civil rights organization Russia behind bars, 50,000 prisoners have been recruited for the Ukraine war so far. Prigozhin, also known as “Putin’s cook”, promised freedom to the mercenaries for a six-month deployment at the front. To the negative coverage of the Russian mercenaries curb, the Russian authorities have recently imposed severe penalties for the “discrediting of volunteers”.

Losses for Wagner: “Putin’s cook” complains about a lack of ammunition – the Kremlin cuts off the supply source

In the Ukraine war, the losses of the Wagner group are considered to be particularly high. Prigozhin had repeatedly spoken of successes in the heavily contested Bakhmut region, but experts at the Institute Study of War (ISW) think tank had not recorded any progress for a long time. This is probably due to the fact that Prigozhin’s private army is running out of mercenaries, who, according to former prisoners, are used as cannon fodder at the front. In addition, the Kremlin had Prigozhin prohibited the recruitment of prisoners and the Wagner boss cut off an important source of supplies.

Added to this was the lack of military equipment. Prigozhin complained publicly about this and threatened Moscow with the withdrawal of the Wagner group. However, there was no reaction from the Kremlin, even after Prigozhin had turned to his archenemy Sergei Shoigu. Now the Wagner boss seems to be giving in. Prigozhin admitted that the Wagner soldiers would have to be “reorganized and reduced” after the battle for Bakhmut. That reported Bloomberg and referred to sources close to the Kremlin. However, these statements have not yet been verified.

Conflict with Putin: Wagner boss Prigozhin has been waging a power struggle with Moscow for months

In recent months, Prigozhin has expressed his displeasure with him more often Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and his government expressed. The head of the notorious Wagner Group used Telegram and other means to berate the Russian Defense Ministry. For a long time, Prigozhin was considered an ally of Putin and belonged to his narrow circle of power.

Now Prigozhin seems to have been engaged in a bitter power struggle with the Russian Defense Ministry for months. The US experts at the ISW assume that Sergei Shoigu’s ministry is using the opportunity to exhausted Wagner mercenaries to throw into the battle for Bachmut. According to the ISW, the aim is to “weaken Prigozhin and thwart his ambitions for greater influence in the Kremlin”. Also want Russian state companies set up their own mercenary troops. (gods)

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