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View of the village of Baghouz, in the province of Deir-Ezzor, March 24, 2019. (photo illustration) GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP

The Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta claims to have identified one of the active Russian mercenaries in Syria who were accused of torturing and decapitating a deserter. In its investigation published Thursday, November 21, the title makes the link between these mercenaries and the Wagner group present in Syria, as well as in several African countries.

With our correspondent in Moscow, Daniel Vallot

The images are extremely violent and show a group of mercenaries bent on a man on the ground. The victim is beaten with mass and dismembered and finally decapitated. The torturers, their faces masked, express themselves in Russian, and exchange cruel jokes about their victim, evoking the barbecue and the football game they are about to do.

A first video, released in 2017 did not identify the torturers. But based on new images, released last month, the newspaper Novaya Gazeta has managed to identify one of the mercenaries, which appears this time to face uncovered.

According to the daily, the man is a rookie of the Wagner group , a Russian mercenary company present in Syria for several years. As for the victim, it would be a Syrian deserter, originally from Deir Ezzor.

When questioned during his daily press briefing, the Kremlin spokesman declined to comment on the news - just as every time Russian mercenaries are involved. " In any case, there is no connection with our military operation in Syria," said Dmitry Peskov, "so there is no need to worry about Russia's reputation. "