Apparently the police shot: Russians arrest deserters from the Wagner mercenary group

Apparently shot at police
Russians arrest deserters from the Wagner mercenary group

The mercenaries around their leader Prigozhin are known for recruiting prisoners for the battles in the Ukraine war. One of these previously convicted fighters is said to have deserted and then attacked police officers. He was caught in the village of Kiselevo.

According to official information, Russian security forces have arrested a convicted criminal who is said to have shot at police officers with a machine gun in a region bordering Ukraine. According to a Russian media report, it is said to be a deserter from the Wagner mercenary group fighting in Ukraine.

According to the Russian investigative committee, the 38-year-old man is suspected of shooting at a group of police officers in the city of Novoshakhtinsk, which is part of the Russian border region of Rostov, on Tuesday, injuring one of them. After a search of almost 24 hours, he was caught in the village of Kiseljowo. According to investigators, the suspect had previously been convicted of “theft and robbery”.

According to the Telegram channel Basa, known for his good contacts with the Russian security forces, the man was serving his sentence in a Russian penal colony when he was recruited by the Wagner squad to fight in Ukraine. However, he later changed his mind and deserted.

The Wagner troupe made headlines because they increasingly recruited prisoners for the Ukraine war in Russian prison camps. Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is reported to personally recruit convicts, would neither confirm nor deny the report. In a press release, he announced his own investigations. At the same time, he thanked the police for arresting the 38-year-old – and added that instead of passing on information to journalists, they should fight at the front in Ukraine.

In late September, Prigozhin admitted that he founded the Wagner Group in 2014 to fight in Ukraine. He also acknowledged the mercenaries’ presence in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

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