In the video, Nuzhin was shown lying down with his head taped to a brick wall as an unidentified man in combat clothing hits him with a sledgehammer. video Russia's notorious Wagner group admits to recruiting Zambian inmate who died fighting in Ukraine Prigozhin above all is a sharp-eyed opportunist. Among the EU's latest package of Russian sanctions, members of the Wagner Group mercenary company were included for alleged crimes committed in Africa. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said he had not had time to watch the video. Is it? When that failed, American troops fired warning shots at a group of vehicles and a howitzer. But Medvedev said he wasn't afraid. Media and think tank reports indicate that natural gas extraction by EvroPolis, a firm Prigozhin holds a stake in according to U.S. authorities, generated about $162 million from al-Shaer and several other nearby gas fields in 2017, the same year Bouta was killed. On March 27, 2017, Bouta traveled across the border from Lebanon into Syria at the Beirut-Damascus crossing with a group of young men from his village. He has previously denied any links to the group, though various investigations have linked him to its activities. It has since been hailing Russia as contributing to an end to post-colonial French influence in the country. In the end, 200 to 300 of the attacking fighters were killed. Russian Paramilitaries Accused of Torture and Beheading in Landmark Legal Case Against Wagner Group IN THE DOCK The Kremlin-backed Wagner Group will be It sheds new light on the networks operations and reveals how the killing became a rallying point for Russian ultranationalists online. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews. The Wagner Group is a mercenary firm that has been heavily involved in the fighting in Ukraine. Ahrar Houran, which he helped to found, confirmed the news. The Guardian checked the results independently using the facial recognition software FindClone and found the same results. You may opt out at any time. Family members of a former Russian prison inmate, who defected to Ukraine after being recruited by the Kremlin-linked private military group Wagner, have expressed horror over his apparent execution after a gruesome video emerged on Friday that showed him being repeatedly struck with a sledgehammer. Prigozhin is also believed to have created and funded the Internet Research Agency, an online "troll farm" that U.S. authorities have charged with waging a propaganda-and-influence campaign in a bid to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Ilya Nuzhin, Yevgenys son, confirmed to the Guardian on Monday that the man in the video was his father but declined to give further comments, citing security concerns. At least one Marine exposed himself to incoming fire as he used a missile guidance computer to find targets locations and pass them on to the commandos calling in the airstrikes. Anyone can read what you share. Initially, Russian officials said only four Russian citizens but perhaps dozens more were killed; a Syrian officer said around 100 Syrian soldiers had died. With Putins help, Assad has constrained the capacity of the United Nations to deliver health supplies in opposition-controlled territory, which faces rising risk of the coronavirus. Jessica Chen Weiss, formerly a senior advisor for policy planning at the State Department under the Biden administration, makes the case that the United States is becoming consumed by competition with China, a strategy that could lead to dangerous conflict. By one estimate from Harvard University, more than 130,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or severely wounded, in addition to the deaths of more than 7,000 Ukrainian civilians. In another part of the video that originally surfaced in 2017, the four men laugh to a soundtrack of Russian rock music as they use a sledgehammer to crush the hand of a man shown pinned to the ground wearing bloodied civilian clothes in what appears to be an industrial zone. If Putin had hoped to weaken NATO, the very opposite has happened, with Finland and Sweden on the cusp of joining the transatlantic military alliance. They are the Swiss Army knives of modern Russian warfare and serve as force multipliers, arms merchants, trainers of local military and security personnel, and political consultants, according to a recent report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Is the Biden administrations China policy too hawkish? February's report into the Wagner Group had concluded that: "Looking ahead, it appears that Wagner is looking to expand into new territories in Africa, even as some of its troops have been drawn into supporting Russia's increasingly long-term war in Ukraine.". A similar melding of public and nominally private entities was used in 2016 in a bid to influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, with Russian military hackers stealing emails and documents from the Hillary Clinton campaign while the so-called troll factory, allegedly funded by Prigozhin, sought to fuel divisions between American voters. In the days leading up to the attack, and on opposite sides of the Euphrates River, Russia and the United States were backing separate offensives against the Islamic State in Syrias oil-rich Deir al-Zour Province, which borders Iraq. The post didnt provide much commentary, only a link to a graphically violent video shot with a shaky hand on a cell phone that showed several Russian speaking men dressed in desert military uniforms taking turns beating a man who has since been identified as Bouta with a sledgehammer. New Report Exposes Brutal Methods of Russias Wagner Group, Click + to receive email alerts for new stories written by, The perpetrators, who have not yet been charged, were, Close to Russian government but nominally independent, private military contractors give the Kremlin a degree of plausible deniability and have complicated efforts by Western policymakers to formulate a response. A handful of Marines ran ammunition to machine guns and Javelin missile launchers scattered along the berms and wedged among the trucks. .. On the tenth anniversary of the Syrian revolution last year, a complaint against the Russian private military company (PMC) Wagner was filed in Russian courts, the first case ever brought against the group. By early evening, more than 500 troops and 27 vehicles including tanks and armored personnel carriers had amassed. Investigative paper wants atrocities of alleged Russian mercenaries in Syria probed after graphic VIDEO Two years after the United States clashed with some sort of Wagner Group contingent in Deir Ezzor, the United States government still doesnt know anything about the organizational structure of these military contingents, Rondeaux said. The firefight was described by the Pentagon as an act of self-defense against a unit of pro-Syrian government forces. Roughly 20 miles away, at a base known as a mission support site, a team of Green Berets and a platoon of infantry Marines stared at their computer screens, watching drone feeds and passing information to the Americans at the gas plant about the gathering fighters. Click + to receive email alerts when new stories are published on. In total the bloc targeted 11 individuals and seven entities it said was linked to the once-secretive private military and economic arm of Russian foreign policy controlled by a historically close ally of Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin. are assisting Somali soldiers fighting Al Shabab, and by a health care system that utterly failed him, The case has irritated U.S. relations with a crucial military ally, four Russian citizens but perhaps dozens more. Our whole family was in tears watching the video he was murdered like an animal, Nuzhin said. The report also revealed that at least one of the Russian-speaking men in the video had fought in the embattled region of Donbas in eastern Ukraine before traveling to Syria to work for a contingent affiliated to the Wagner Group. At this point, members of the group Bouta was traveling with notified Boutas brother-in-law, who was in Lebanon at the time, that the Syrian military had taken Bouta into custody. Click + to receive email alerts for new stories written by He married and started a family. Delivered Thursday. Mercenary activity that enables and secures these business interests has become the most visible manifestation of these networks. Create an FP account to save articles to read later and in the FP mobile app. Lost in the desert, he appears to have sought refuge in al-Shaer gas field, where he was later tortured and killed. $162 million from oil and gas fields in central Syria in 2017 alone. There have also been widespread reports of Wagner recruiting foreign convicts in prisons across Russia, including citizens from the five central Asian nations. Almost a year later, the court found that the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, which had the power to open Snippets of the video had been posted online since 2017 but the full footage was uploaded last week to a closed VKontakte group for members of Wagner. Bracing for an attack, the Green Berets prepared to launch the reaction force. The military dependence of the CAR administration on Wagner has translated into a very influential political role for the mercenary organization," the report said. The day began with little hint of the battle that was about to unfold. up as tough on Beijing, even seeking to contain the rise of the worlds second-biggest economy. Keep up with the world without stopping yours. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who was indicted in the United States for attempted interference in the 2016 presidential election, is widely regarded as the driving force behind the mercenary group. Questions remain about exactly who the Russian mercenaries were, and why they attacked. Around 300 Wagner fighters are believed to have been killed or wounded in a firefight with U.S.-led Kurdish forces in Syria in February 2018. Putins Russian Critics AreGrowingEver Louder, The Conversation About Ukraine Is Cracking Apart, The State Departments Lack of Diversity Is Bad for U.S. A CAR radio station,Lengo Sengo, was also sanctioned on charges of spreading disinformation on Wagner's behalf. Ukraine had a responsibility towards Nuzhin and he should have not been exchanged, given the dangers he faced in Russia.. Visitors wearing military camouflage at the Wagner Centre office building in St Petersburg. Essential analysis of the stories shaping geopolitics on the continent. But as well as disputing Wagner's presence, Russia said it would "actively participate in collective efforts to stabilize the situation" and "develop a multifaceted cooperation with Burkina Faso," including potentially training the country's military. Under a 2019 U.S. law known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, anyone connected to war crimes in Syria under Assads regime could be subject to sanctions. Footage of the summary killing of Yevgeny Nuzhin was posted over the weekend by the Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone. At a vote at the UN General Assembly this week, Mali and Eritrea went from abstaining in comparablepast votes to joiningwith just five countries typically voting against motions criticizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine Syria, North Korea, Nicaragua, Belarus, and Russia itself. Mercenaries from the Wagner Group in Bangui, Central African Republic, in 2019. relying on tens of thousands of inexperienced conscripts. Wagner expanded to Syria in 2015, tasked with bolstering President Bashar al-Assad and seizing oil and gas fields, American officials said. Jessica Chen Weiss, formerly a senior advisor for policy planning at the State Department under the Biden administration, makes the case that the United States is becoming consumed by competition with China, a strategy that could lead to dangerous conflict. Online messages sent to him and his wife by the Guardian were not immediately returned on Thursday. American warplanes arrived in waves, including Reaper drones, F-22 stealth fighter jets, F-15E Strike Fighters, B-52 bombers, AC-130 gunships and AH-64 Apache helicopters. Mali's ruling junta last year forced French troops out of the country soon after committing a coup and welcomed in Wagner forces. The details of the Feb. 7 firefight were gleaned from interviews and documents newly obtained by The New York Times. What will another year of war look like? Expanding Influence Tonight, his family announced they had received news of his death under torture in Sednaya Prison. standing, Ukrainians are determined to keep fighting, and the West has so far stayed resolute in its support of Ukraine. South Africa and Russia deepen military ties, Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy calls for ICC Russia probe, More than mercenaries: Russia's Wagner Group in Africa, Russian troops step up fight to cut off Bakhmut supply lines, French court dismisses case against TotalEnergies, Pakistan: The school that's free for Afghan refugee children, New hurdles for sea rescuers in the Mediterranean, Tunisia: Presidential scapegoating stokes fear and support, Canada Soccer president resigns amid equal pay dispute, committed in the Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan, the most influential form of Russian engagement in Africa today, has also prompted the country to step up its diplomatic drive in Africa, Mali's ruling junta last year forced French troops out of the country soon after committing a coup and welcomed in Wagner forces, At a vote at the UN General Assembly this week. After his brief stint in the Syrian Arab Army, Bouta went to work in the construction industry, working primarily as a bricklayer. The newspaper has not released the mans full last name in order to protect his family from potential reprisals. The number of casualties from the Feb. 7 fight is in dispute. They beat his extremities with a sledgehammer before decapitating him, setting his body on fire and posing for photographs with his remains. Xi Jinpings signature foreign policy is a shadow of its former self.. The European Unionon Saturday announced additional sanctions against Russia's Wagner Group mercenary and economic organization for "human rights abuses" committed in the Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan and Ukraine. A video surfaced on social media showing 2 #Wagner mercenaries torturing, beheading & lynching-on-fire a #Syria -n army defector in 2017, 'just for fun.' Ukraines economy and infrastructure have been dealt blows that will take decades to recover from. Subscribers can send in questions in advance. Commanders of the rival militaries had long steered clear of the other by speaking through often-used deconfliction telephone lines. The incident will serve to further blacken the reputation of Wagner, which was founded by a businessman close to Vladimir Putin. In the past month, the number of Wagner troops in the country has more than tripled to over 1,000. Mr. Utkin is said to have chosen Wagner to honor the composer, who was a favorite of Hitlers. The clip of the brutal murder in Syria, apparently filmed in the summer of 2017, resurfaced this week in the wake of an investigation by Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Evening roundup with our editors favorite stories of the day. The Defense Ministry denied any Russian uniformed personnel were killed. Commanders briefed pilots and ground crews. Increasingly, theyve become more formalized and have started acting more like Western military contractors. Russian authorities ignored requests by the media and rights activists to investigate the killing. Were going to Moscow, to their territory, to their courts, and to their jurisdiction, Darwish said. Although on Western radars for some time, the group and the extent of its activities has come more clearly to light sinceRussia's invasion of Ukraine with Moscow no longer flatly denying the organization's existence, and Prigozhin having come forward and confirmed suspicions of his leadership role in the group. An image uploaded to social media shortly before the article was published shows four men posing before a decapitated body in what appears to be the same spot shown in the videos. "I'm convinced this has nothing to do with the Russian military operation in Syria," Peskov told reporters. Nuzhin betrayed his people, betrayed his comrades, betrayed consciously, he said. Weekly update on whats driving U.S. national security policy. The men responsible for murdering Bouta are believed to have worked for EvroPolis, a company that exemplifies the way organizations within the network have blended business and warfare. By signing up, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to occasionally receive special offers from Foreign Policy. Watch the conversation or read the condensed transcript. And neither the United States government understands how terrifying it is nor do its European allies.. Eight of the 11 individuals and all seven entities sanctions were linked to Wagner's largest and longest-runningknown operations in Africa, in the Central African Republic and Sudan. They cant say that this is just a political issue or propaganda because we are bringing this case in Russian courts, under Russian law. Yevgeny Prigozhin is the man behind a mercenary force fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Saturday's additional sanctions were decided "in view of the international dimension and gravity of the group's activities, as well as its destabilizing impact on the countries where it is active,"said a statement from the European Council. Russia. horus of lawmakers in Europe and Asia have begun to say the United States is fostering unfair competition. But Wagners work, which has reportedly been rewarded with oil concessions in Syria, has largely taken place in the shadows, and the video is a rare, shocking look at the groups actions in Syria. One person sanctioned by the EU was described as "the security advisor" to PresidentFaustin Archange-Touadera. The companies hit by sanctions included gold and diamond mining operations in the CAR and Sudan. Prigozhin, who had been charged by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller in early 2018, was slapped with new U.S. Treasury Department sanctions on September 30, in an announcement that also included photographs of three jets and a 122-foot yacht that purportedly belongs to Prigozhin or his companies. Some of the fighters appeared to have been recruited from Syria and Libya, the Pentagons spokesman, John F. Kirby, has said. Weekly update on developments in India and its neighbors. Between 200 to 300 fighters were killed in the battle, including scores of Russian mercenaries, to be working in the region to seize control of a nearby gas plant on behalf of EvroPolis. Afterwards, the men posed for a photograph with the suspended body, across the torso of which they wrote: For the VDV [Russian airborne forces] and an out-of-focus word that appears to say razvedka, a term for military intelligence. This week marks exactly one year since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine. The Wagner Group is believed to be owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman with close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin often referred to as An analysis of Russian social media groups for followers of the Wagner Group as well as the friend networks of individuals who shared details of Boutas murder online revealed a burgeoning online movement of Russian ultranationalists with an abiding interest in mercenary culture who claimed to have served in Russian military units, according to the research by Frontline Forensics, which was published by New America. A videos posted online last year appeared to show Wagner contractors using a sledgehammer to execute a fighter they accused of surrendering. New Report Exposes Brutal Methods of Russias Wagner Group. The fighters were reportedly wounded in a United States airstrike near the city. The perpetrators, who have not yet been charged, were identified by the Russian independent news outlet Novaya Gazeta as private military security contractors for the so-called Wagner Group. In the interviews, he also criticised the Russian leadership and expressed his desire to join the Ukrainian forces and fight against Moscow. The newspaper said it had also obtained an application form he had filled out for Wagner and a copy of a non-disclosure agreement he had signed. An hour later, the enemy fighters had started to retreat and the American troops stopped firing. But Russian military officials said they had no control over the fighters assembling near the river even though American surveillance equipment monitoring radio transmissions had revealed the ground force was speaking in Russian. Hes a graduate of Harvards Davis Center and a recipient of New York University's Reporting Award and the Fulbright Alistair Cooke Journalism Award. The reports revelations have chilling implications, as Russian mercenaries motivated by both money and far-right ideology are increasingly operating unchecked in some of the worlds most fragile countries. 'There's no one to help': Russian mercenary industry's toll on families, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Amy Mackinnon. Watch the conversation or read the condensed transcript. Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a wide-ranging conversation with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on the Biden administrations trade and economic policiesand the impacts they have on the world. Delivered Thursday. And how might that be impacting the world? Nuzhin, 55, had been serving a 24-year prison sentence for a murder he committed in 1999 when he was freed in July and conscripted into Wagner, a notorious military group run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a powerful Russian businessman and a close ally of Vladimir Putin. The clip purportedly showing a brutal murder in Syria resurfaced this week after apparently being filmed in 2017. The Russian high command in Syria assured us it was not their people, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told senators in testimony last month. Thousands of Russian contractors fought in Syria alongside a 2015 military intervention by Putin that helped turn the tide in the countrys civil war and saved the government of Bashar al-Assad. A few days later, Novaya Gazeta, one of Russias only remaining independent daily news outlets, published a report naming Stanislav Dychko as one of several Russian nationals depicted in the video. The group is not registered as a legal entity anywhere in the world. The group reportedly took its name from the nom de guerre of its leader, Dmitry Utkin, a retired Russian military officer. A team of about 30 Delta Force soldiers and Rangers from the Joint Special Operations Command were working alongside Kurdish and Arab forces at a small dusty outpost next to a Conoco gas plant, near the city of Deir al-Zour. Russia has played all sides in the conflict to get a seat at the negotiating table. In April, the French army released imagery from drone cameras that showed Wagner Group soldiers laying out dead bodies in the sand near a French army base in Mali after the French withdrew. At 3 p.m. the Syrian force began edging toward the Conoco plant. According to one Russian human rights group, Wagner has recruited more than 20,000 prisoners to fight in Ukraine so far. Their presence, in the eastern region known as Donbas that is home to Russia-backed separatist groups, raises concerns, given the groups history. The video published by Novaya Gazeta appears to be just one instalment of a series of clips that record the same incident at the hands of Russian-speaking fighters, including the victim's torture, mutilation, and, ultimately, decapitation. A disturbing clip of an execution in Syria has prompted a Russian newspaper to investigate links between the torturers and the shadowy Wagner Group. One of the individuals sanctioned on Saturday came under an EU sanctions regime for Mali specifically. Russian trucks heading to Deir al-Zour, an oil-rich Syrian province that borders Iraq, last year. The visit comes as South Africa prepares for joint naval drills with Russia and China next month. A Russian-speaking man who filmed the torture and killing of a prisoner in Syria has been identified as a member of Wagner, a Russian private military company with ties to the Kremlin that has aggressively expanded into the Middle East and Africa in recent years. accused of war crimes and human rights abuses. 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