Video footage has emerged of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner’s mercenaries, congratulating recruit prisoners who have been pardoned after serving a six-month contract in Ukraine.
Russian state media RIA Novosti published video in which Prigozhin can be seen hugging, shaking hands and talking to alleged Wagner recruits who have completed their term in Ukraine.
“You completed them [contracts] With respect, ”says Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company.
“First, yes. You are first,” he continues, suggesting that these recruits were the first to be recruited out of Russian prisons and serve six months as mercenaries to receive a pardon. Contracts were awarded.
In the summer of 2022, videos began to appear in prisons of Prigozhin offering amnesty for prisoners in exchange for a six-month contract on the front line in Ukraine.
In the video, Prigozhin is dressed in a khaki military outfit and is surrounded by a group of men.
“These are warriors. They were born warriors and now they have seen that they are warriors.” He said, “There is a war going on today. And they need to defend their homes during that war.”
Prigozhin is then seen addressing the other apparent recruits.
They say, “Don’t drink too much, don’t do drugs, don’t rape women.” Don’t create trouble.
RIA Novosti suggested that some of those recently pardoned would return to Wagner’s ranks.
“We want to return to finish what we started and continue to defend our homeland. Kill the Nazis, as our grandfathers did,” says an unidentified person quoted by RIA Novosti.
in August, CNN reported that recruiters, possibly from Wagner, were visiting Russian prisons looking for recruits. An inmate told CNN that recruiters came to his prison in the first fortnight of July.
Video of Prigozhin’s own prison visit began appearing online over the summer, and has become more prominent in Russian state media in recent weeks.
Wagner’s forces are involved in large-scale fighting around the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Prigozhin said over the weekend that there was “a fortress in every house” in the city.
CNN previously reported Wagner recruits were killed in fighting around Bakhmut. In September 2022, a Zambian citizen was killed there.