Released in exchange for war service while serving a murder sentence... Belongs to Wagner mercenaries
Defected to Ukraine last September... Kidnapped in Kyiv in October
‘Putin's Chef’ Prigozhin calls him a "traitor who betrayed the nation"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] A video showing a man who defected from the Russian private military company Wagner Group to the pro-Ukraine side being brutally executed by Wagner has been circulated on social media (SNS). The man was serving a 24-year sentence for murder but was reportedly released in exchange for participating in the Ukraine war.
On the 13th (local time), according to foreign media, a video showing former Wagner mercenary Yevgeny Nuzhin being struck with a hammer and dying was posted on the Telegram channel "Grey Zone," which is known to be linked to the Wagner Group.
The video titled "Hammer of Revenge" shows Nuzhin with a brick taped to one side of his head. Nuzhin said, "I came to this basement unconscious after being hit on the head," and "They said I must stand trial."
According to the British daily The Telegraph and others, Nuzhin defected to Ukraine in September and was kidnapped in October in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, then taken to a Wagner basement. Nuzhin was a prisoner released from a Russian prison this year in exchange for participating in the war; he was serving a 24-year sentence for murder. However, as Russia, suffering from a shortage of troops, expanded recruitment targets to include prisoners, Nuzhin was released. Afterward, he joined the Wagner Group and was deployed to the front lines as a mercenary, but in September, Nuzhin switched to the Ukrainian side.
The details of Nuzhin's kidnapping have not been revealed, but The Telegraph reported that there were reports suggesting Nuzhin was handed over to the Russian side during a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, commented on the video, saying, "A dog must meet a death befitting a dog," and claimed, "Nuzhin is a traitor who betrayed the nation and comrades." Prigozhin, a close aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and known as "Putin's chef," officially acknowledged founding Wagner in 2014 only in September. He is currently subject to sanctions by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union (EU).
The Wagner Group was established in 2014 to support pro-Russian separatist forces fighting government troops in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Since then, it has operated worldwide and gained notoriety for atrocities such as killing civilians and torture.
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