Interview about war experiences
Wagner fighters: Anyone who hesitates will be shot
02/12/2023, 5:18 p.m
They were personally taken out of prison by Wagner boss Prigoshin to fight in Ukraine: Two mercenaries in captivity give the US broadcaster CNN a detailed interview. They describe a merciless regiment that punishes disobedience with death.
Two arrested fighters from the Russian mercenary group Wagner have reported on their experiences on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine. The men said that anyone who disobeyed the commander’s instructions would be shot the US broadcaster CNN. “Our commander was told that anyone who gets cold feet must be eliminated. And if we don’t eliminate them, we will be eliminated because we didn’t eliminate them.”
One of the fighters belonged to a company of 90 men. “60 died in the first attack, killed by mortar fire. A handful remained wounded,” he said in an interview. “If one group is unsuccessful, another is sent immediately. If the second is unsuccessful, they send another group.”
The other fighter was involved in a five-day attack through a forest near the city of Lysychansk on the Luhansk-Donetsk border in eastern Ukraine. “The first steps into the forest were difficult because of the many landmines scattered about. Seven out of ten men died instantly,” he said. “You can’t help the wounded. The Ukrainians fired heavily at us, and even if they had only minor wounds, you had to keep going, otherwise you’d be hit by the fire yourself.”
“People are dying right next to me”
In the war, the men had had cruel experiences. “People are dying right next to me, praying to God, begging for water. You think you can put down your gun and nothing will happen. And then the fight starts again ten minutes later,” said one of them. The fighters were faced with the choice of running through mined fields or being shot. “We couldn’t withdraw without an order because if we don’t obey the order, we will be killed,” said one of the prisoners.
He told CNN about a scene on the battlefield. “One man stayed in one position, he was really scared, it was his first attack. We received the order to run forward. But the man hid under a tree and refused,” said the Wagner fighter. This was reported to the command post. “He was taken 50 meters from the base. He dug his own grave and then he was shot.”
The two men were recruited in prison. One of them was serving a 20-year sentence for manslaughter, according to CNN. According to the report, in August last year the Wagner boss Prigozhin landed on the prison grounds with a helicopter. You were offered a contract for six months. In return, they should receive an acquittal. Late last year, the men were captured by Ukrainian forces.