MOSCOW (Reuters) – More than 5,000 former prisoners have been pardoned in Russia after fighting in Ukraine with Wagner, the paramilitary organization’s founder Yevgeny Prigojine said on Saturday.
Yevgeny Prigojine recruited thousands of prisoners to swell the ranks of Wagner to support the Russian army in Ukraine, promising them freedom at the end of their contract.
“At present, more than 5,000 people have been pardoned after the end of their contract with Wagner,” said this ally of President Vladimir Putin in a message broadcast on Telegram.
(Written by Guy Faulconbridge, French version Bertrand Boucey)
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