Wagner denies involvement in mercenary’s killing in Ukraine

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mercenary group, accuses the US of executing Yevgenny Nuzhin, who reportedly switched sides to hitch Ukrainian forces.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the top of Russia’s mercenary Wagner group, has denied it had any involvement within the execution of one among its fighters in Ukraine.

Final week, a social media account linked to Wagner shared unverified footage of a person recognized as a former mercenary being killed after declaring that he had switched sides in September to “combat in opposition to the Russians”.

Within the footage, the person, who gave his identify as Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, was proven along with his head taped to a brick wall. He mentioned he was kidnapped in Kyiv on October 11 and got here round in a cellar.

“I bought hit over the top and misplaced consciousness and got here round on this cellar,” he mentioned. “They advised me I used to be to be tried.”

As he mentioned these phrases, an unidentified man in fight clothes behind Nuzhin was seen smashing a sledgehammer into the facet of his head and neck.

Nuzhin collapsed onto the ground and the unidentified man delivered one other blow to his head.

The video appeared on the Gray Zone Telegram channel, one among a number of that Russian media has mentioned was linked to the Wagner group. The footage was posted below the title, The hammer of revenge.

Requested to touch upon the execution video, Prigozhin mentioned on Sunday in remarks launched by his spokeswoman that the video must be referred to as, “A canine receives a canine’s dying” and labelled Nuzhin a “traitor”.

“Nuzhin betrayed his individuals, betrayed his comrades, betrayed consciously,” mentioned Prigozhin, who has been sanctioned by the US and European Union for his position in Wagner.

However on Tuesday, the 61-year-old denied Wagner’s involvement and accused US intelligence providers of being behind the killing, with out offering proof to assist his declare.

“I requested Wagner workers whether or not they kidnapped Evgeny Nuzhin and in the event that they participated in his torture. None offered info of collaborating in his abduction or torture,” Prigozhin mentioned in a letter addressed to Igor Krasnov, Russia’s prosecutor common, and revealed on Russia’s VKontakte social media service.

“For me, it is rather clear that Nuzhin was kidnapped and violently killed by brokers of the US intelligence providers,” he added, and referred to as for Krasnov to open an investigation into the killing.

The Russian rights group, Gulagu.web, which advocates for prisoners in Russian detention, has mentioned that Nuzhin was in jail in Russia earlier than being recruited by Wagner to combat in Ukraine.

Prigozhin, a detailed ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been accused of personally collaborating in a recruitment drive by providing contracts at Russian prisons, pledging that those that give up or are captured can be killed.

In September, he disclosed for the primary time that he had based the Wagner group in 2014.

Initially staffed by veterans of the Russian armed forces, Wagner’s mercenaries have fought in Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic, Mali and Ukraine, amongst different nations, lately.

Earlier this month, the group opened its first official headquarters in Russia’s second metropolis of Saint Petersburg.