Evguéni Prigojine had however initially praised a “magnificent work”.

The leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner finally denied on Tuesday any involvement in the brutal execution of an alleged member of his organization accused of desertion in Ukraine

The case began with the publication of a video, relayed by accounts close to Wagner on social networks, of a man accused of having surrendered to Ukrainian forces before being recaptured by the Russians.

We see this man, who introduces himself as Evguéni Noujine, being killed in a particularly brutal way, his skull struck with a sledgehammer.

“Wagner employees are distinguished by their strict compliance with the rules”

In a first message published on Sunday, the head of Wagner had praised a "magnificent work", describing the man killed as a "dog".

But in a new press release published on Tuesday, Prigojine denies any involvement of his group in the execution and points to the American secret services as responsible, without substantiating his accusations.

"This is on the ropes of the American intelligence services, which kidnap people, including Russian citizens, around the world," said the businessman close to the Kremlin, calling on Russian prosecutors to open an investigation.

“Wagner employees are distinguished by their excellent discipline and strict adherence to international standards and globally accepted rules of social behavior,” adds the head of this organization known for its violent methods.



The Russian NGO Gulagu.net, which specializes in the defense of detainees, claims that Yevgeny Nuzhin was a prisoner who had been recruited from a Russian penal colony to fight in Ukraine.

Prigojine is accused of touring Russian prisons to recruit detainees in exchange for sentence reductions.

As a reminder, the Russian investigative newspaper

Novaya Gazeta

has already claimed in the past, with video support, that Wagner's men had beaten a prisoner in Syria with sledgehammers in 2017, then had beheaded and burned him. .

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