"If I join the fight, Putin said he would pardon me..." Confession of a Russian mercenary

Ru Wagner Group hires prisoners for battlefield deployment
Harsh assault for complaints... 'Summary executions' also occur

The Russian private military company 'Wagner Group' has attracted attention after testimonies revealed that it promised pardons and salaries to prisoners in exchange for recruitment and deployment to the battlefield.

On the 23rd (local time), reporters from the US 'Washington Post (WP)' interviewed former mercenaries Mikhail and Ilya, who were captured at the eastern Ukrainian frontline in Bakhmut, at a detention center.

Mikhail was recruited by the Wagner Group last fall while serving a prison sentence for assault leading to death. Mikhail claimed that at the time, Wagner Group leader Prigozhin said, "President Vladimir Putin promised to completely wipe the sentences of anyone who participates in combat." However, he was also warned that those who fled or deserted on the battlefield could face summary execution, referred to as "go to zero."

At that time, the Wagner Group promised Mikhail a salary of $1,300 (approximately 1.7 million KRW) and guaranteed a pardon. They also said that a bonus of up to $1,200 (approximately 1.56 million KRW) could be paid for locating enemy positions or blowing up vehicles.

Mercenaries belonging to the Wagner Group stand outside a building destroyed by concentrated fire in a village in the northern part of Donetsk Oblast. / Photo by Yonhap News

After being released from prison, Mikhail and Ilya underwent brief military training before being deployed to the frontline. The treatment of mercenaries recruited from prisons in this way was harsh. Any expression of dissatisfaction on the battlefield was immediately punished, and deserters were brutally beaten or killed. They lamented, "We wanted to run away, but they (the Wagner Group) knew information about my family and child."

However, summary executions have somewhat eased recently, which they speculate is because "there were not enough people (to send to the battlefield)."

Meanwhile, the Wagner Group is a private company based in Russia, ostensibly a security firm, but it is reported to be deeply involved in Russian military operations. Wagner mercenaries were also active during Russia's forced annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014. The group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is also a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Western media, including the WP, reported that since February last year, the Wagner Group has been recruiting prisoners as mercenaries from various Russian prisons. These mercenaries were concentrated in fierce battle zones, with most reportedly losing their lives or suffering serious injuries. Amid this, Prigozhin declared on the Russian social networking service 'VKontakte' on the 9th that "prisoner recruitment has been completely stopped."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.