But I wanted to double check the date of this of this video, because you should understand one thing now (or) you will not understand it. No more than 5 people know counteroffensive plan of Armed Forces of Ukraine Ukraine's Defence Council Secretary, Ukraine's Defence Ministry explains what they meant by saying situation in Bakhmut was "under control", Putin admits that Armed Forces of Ukraine cause losses of Russian army, Macron urges China to convince Russia to stop the war in Ukraine during state visit to Beijing, Three Russian MiG jets leave Belarus for Russia, Journalists find house of Russian-linked church's Metropolitan measuring 580 square metres, Ukraine orders more Rosomak armoured vehicles from Poland than previously announced, Russia has critical missile shortage Ukraine's Defence Council Secretary, Russia hit residential building in centre of Orikhiv and attacked Huliaipole with missiles, Xi tells Macron about his readiness to "work hard" for peace in Ukraine, UOC-MP priest who molested his own daughters detained Prosecutor's Office, Ukrainian war drama film Butterfly Vision released, China's leader to talk to Zelenskyy "when conditions are right" von der Leyen, Russia has not removed killing of Zelenskyy from agenda Ukraine's Defence CouncilSecretary, Xi Jinping did not change his mind on Russian war following talks with Macron. The former convicts, Colonel Kostenko said, are herded into the battlefield by harsh discipline: They have orders, and they cannot disobey orders, especially in Wagner.. Common causes and when you should seek care. The infamous Wagner Group has recruited prisoners to fight on the front lines. A Ukrainian military member on the front Im sorry, but you dont understand how it feels after seeing pictures on Bucha. For months, Russia has been using the shadowy. He said: What could such an army even accomplish in combat?. Usov said the ministry had fewer convicts for now but they "will be used in the same way as cannon fodder," as Wagner does. CNN is withholding his name and those of the other surviving convicts for their safety. The first Although Wagner forces have previously been deployed in Syria and several African conflicts, its operations were wrapped in secrecy until the invasion of Ukraine brought it out of the shadows. A second prisoner, himself a veteran of previous Russian conflicts, said he was employed by the Russian Ministry of Defense last year, a decade into his sentence for murder, after being overlooked initially when Wagner recruited from his prison. Tens of thousands of inmates have joined a mercenary group fighting with the Kremlins decimated forces in Ukraine. It gives a lot of sorrow and sadness as a family. Whats their motivation for telling us? I can really confirm that the entire procedure for pardoning prisoners is carried out in strict accordance with Russian law.". ODESA, Ukraine Five days after an explosion at a Russian prison camp killed at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war, evidence about what happened remains 
According to Vladimir, prisoners were shown footage during Prighozins visit of Russian soldiers bravely fighting in Ukraine and were promised that their actions in the country would not be punished. WebA Russian activist who has been documenting Russias war losses in Ukraine was forced to flee the country after the authorities opened two criminal cases against him, local news WebAt least 2,500 Ukrainians who remained in prison in the occupied territories of Ukraine were taken to Russia. There are open decrees and decrees with various degrees of secrecy, he said. We were told: Keep going until youre killed, Mr. Medvedev said in a phone interview from Russia after deserting in November. On arriving at a transit prison in Crimea, the Kherson prisoners were put through a gantlet of blows by masked guards, according to the four interviewed former inmates. In some cases, they said they were punched and kicked in the face and body after surrendering and when they were interrogated. But with these heavy losses, they sometimes advance.. Which U.S. cities have the lowest and highest property taxes? 
Anatoly Kurmanaev and Ekaterina Bodyagina reported from Berlin, and Ivan Nechepurenko from Tbilisi, Georgia. The Russian occupation authorities initially left the Kherson inmates to fend for themselves, focusing instead on purging Kyivs supporters from the city and looting. He said we were going to enter hell, but that it could be our lucky ticket out. He said Prigozhins speech made a great impression on the prisoners, with 170 fellow inmates signing up to fight. Ms. Fedosik with Mr. Korin, Mr. Osadchiy and another former Kherson prisoner outside a notary office in Tbilisi in February. These are psychologically broken people who are returning with a sense of righteousness, a belief that they have killed to defend the Motherland, said Yana Gelmel, a Russian prisoner rights lawyer who works with enlisted inmates. Videos Suggest Captive Russian Soldiers Were Killed at Close Range. "Of course, if I were a prisoner, I would dream of joining this friendly team in order to be able not only to redeem my debt to the Motherland, but also to repay it with interest," Concord cited him as saying. As time passed, Mr. Fedorenko and his companions increasingly wondered: Why were they in Russia? There, they have enabled Russian lines to move forward slowly, cutting key resupply roads for the Ukrainian Army. Just this morning alone, we got reports of 600 prisoners being transported from Nizhny Novgorod.. NOW WATCH: VIDEO: Why Russia's military is failing so far in Ukraine, Captured members of a Russian mercenary group say. We call for an end to torture & ill-treatment, full access to prisoners of wars & accountability. He said they were threatened with summary executions, and at least one man in his unit was taken away after disobeying orders and never returned. When I saw that video, I thought Prigozhin must be on a very busy schedule because it was exactly what he told us as well, Ivan said. Rob Lee, a military analyst, said Moscows latest recruitment push might plug some holes in the short term but would do little to address Russias critical shortage of manpower. He went because he was ashamed in front of his mother, he wanted to clear his name.. I needed your criminal talents to kill the enemy in the war, Mr. Prigozhin said in one video. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, was seen in the video speaking to a group of men some of them injured whose faces were blurred. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. In October, he accepted an offer to fight in exchange for a pardon. Prison turns you into an animal, and there is a lot of hate growing inside you. Armies are effective when there is clear hierarchy and cohesion, Lee added. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. We have launched English Twitter! The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Russias deployment of former convicts is a dark chapter in a vicious war. Nine people are said to have died during such attacks in April this year. From left, Anatoly Korin, Ruslan Osadchiy and Aidana Fedosik in Tbilisi, Georgia, last month. Source: Ukrinform with reference to Dmytro Lubinets, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, during a conference, Quote: "We cannot say for sure how many Ukrainians are on the territory of Russia at the moment, because Russia does not provide us with official numbers. Heres How Some Fared. Oleksandr Fedorenkos odyssey began with a triumph for his native Ukraine. 
On the night of Jan. 1, they were commanded to advance 500 yards along the tree line, then dig in and wait for a subsequent wave to arrive. You could see he was commanding the respect of the inmates, said Mikhail, a third prisoner, from the Ivanovo region, whose penal colony Prigozhin visited in August. WebWith Putin's blessing, the Wagner Group has recruited inmates from Russian prisons to fight in the war in Ukraine promising a pardon if they survive six months on the CNN has geolocated a recent video that appears to show the execution of a Russian prisoner by Ukrainian forces following recent fighting in the Kyiv region. 
One soldier carried a light machine gun. 
These can be very dangerous people.. The civilian life is boring.. 
The Russian military has suffered staggering losses since Moscow launched an invasion of Ukraine in February last year. When Russian troops left Kherson, they took with them 2,500 Ukrainian convicts from local prisons. The Guardian spoke to four prisoners and three close family members of inmates across different penal colonies in Russia who all gave similar accounts of how Prigozhin was personally conducting recruitment in prisons. He wasnt trying to sweet talk us. Their accounts could not be independently corroborated but conformed with assessments of the fighting around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut by Western governments and military analysts. Help me, please! the private said, though no help arrived. The location of the video matches that of a video published on Twitter by Ukraines Ministry of Defense. Last month, a top Ukrainian military advisor said Russian prisoners fighting with Wagner were being shoved to the front lines and "killed in big quantities.". Moscow The first group of Russian prisoners offered an amnesty in return for fighting in Ukraine has been released, the head of a mercenary group that employed them said in a video published on Thursday. I want to reassure you that Ukrainian army observes the rules of warfare., Kuleba added, There might be isolated incidents of the violation of these rules and they will be definitely investigated. We all compare it to Russian roulette. It was reported to be about 457 prisoners. I heard about it. It didnt have any logic, said Mr. Osadchyi, 44, who served 12 years for homicide. He was released from a Russian prison and thrown into battle in Ukraine with a promise of ". They asked me, How did you enter Russia?, said Ruslan Osadchyi, another Kherson prisoner. From his time as a stretcher bearer, he said, he estimated that half of the men in each assault were wounded or killed, with shrapnel and bullet wounds the most common injuries. One, also a prisoner, said Sevalnev had been wounded once but sent back to fight on the frontline, where he was then wounded again. WebAccording to Romanovas estimate, about 11,000 Russian prisoners have already signed up to go to Ukraine, a number that she said was growing rapidly. The fighting would turn out to be far more dangerous than he had imagined. They set everyone else up, as no one has my back," he said. His cousin Rehema Makrene Kigoga told CNN: "Since his childhood, Nemes was a very obedient boy. But for some families, Romanovas offer of help will come too late. In his nightly address Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy painted a grim picture of the situation in the town. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The other problem is that the inmates are under control of the other state, but de jure continue serving their sentence. From Olga Voitovych. Olga Maltseva/Agence France-Presse Getty Images. Romanova, the prisoners rights activist, expects that recruitment efforts in Russian prisons will be ramped up in the coming weeks. He was released from a Russian prison and thrown into battle in Ukraine with a promise of freedom, redemption and money. He lay in the dark until he was captured by Ukrainians who slipped into the buffer area between the two trench lines. The next group would follow after a pause of 15 or 20 minutes, then another, then another., Of his combat experience, he said, It was the first and last wave for me.. Can we corroborate the information? Russian POWs, held by Ukraine, told interviewers of summary executions and several cases of torture and ill-treatment, mostly when they were captured, first interrogated, or moved to transit camps and places of internment. WebContrary to Ukraine, which granted UN experts unimpeded confidential access to the official places of the internment of Russian prisoners of war. This is what madness looks like.". WebMarch 5, 2022. You brought me here, under the muzzles of automatic guns!. According to a recording of a call to his wife from a Russian separatist official who arranged the body's repatriation, his abrupt death was apparently caused by shrapnel injuries. Though they are prisoners of war overseen by Ukrainians, the Russians said they spoke freely. Latvias Border Guard and Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Fedorenko said he got off with a bloodied face. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine won strong backing, officially became the military alliances 31st member, in the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut. The exact number of Russian inmates recruited is hard to establish. A US official said on Monday that Wagner, which has been accused of war crimes and human rights abuses in Ukraine and other conflicts, was trying to recruit more than 1,500 convicted felons. Eight soldiers were killed, one escaped back to Russian lines and Sergei was captured by Ukrainians. In 2021, Mr. Putin pardoned just six people, according to the Kremlin. The founder of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has promised inmates a pardon for six months fighting in Ukraine. GOP majority could boot 3 Dems from Tennessee house over shooting protest, Black Hawk helicopter carrying 10 crashes into ocean, Japan's army says, Doctor charged after video allegedly shows her poisoning husband's tea, Israel says rockets fired from Lebanon after clashes at Jerusalem mosque, French president turns to China to push for Russia-Ukraine peace, Greenhouse gases continue reach toward "uncharted levels," NOAA warns, Novel treatment shows promise against rare cancer in kids. A relative of Mr. Matyukhin confirmed that he had enlisted in Wagner, but other aspects of his war account could not be independently verified. Details: The Prosecutor Generals Office reported that the convicts may be sent back to participate in combat actions against Ukraine. POWs described being beaten, including with batons and wooden hammers, being kicked, and given electric shocks with tasers and a military phone known as TAPik. At first, Kherson prisoners thought they would be pressed into the convict battalions that Russias Wagner mercenary group had formed. Like most Ukrainians, the speed of Russias initial advance in the south of the country had caught them by surprise. Some were beaten unconscious, he said. Either I die in this shithole or I die there, it doesnt matter that much. Since July, around 40,000 inmates have joined the Russian forces, according to Western intelligence agencies, the Ukrainian government and a prisoners rights association, Russia Behind Bars, which combines reports from informers across Russian jails. But Russias regular army this month began recruiting convicts in exchange for pardons, shifting the practice on the Russian side in the war from the Wagner private army to the military. His body was returned to Tanzania last month, according to state TV, with the foreign ministry saying in a statement that Tarimo had accepted an offer to fight in return for money and his freedom. From Georgia, Mr. Fedorenko and about 15 other Kherson prisoners eventually made it home, mainly by traveling through Moldova, which borders their homeland. He began recruiting prisoners for Wagner around the city, his hometown, last summer. When I came to this war, I thought it was worth it, he said. Some of them were brought back by Ukrainian law enforcement officers. On paper, the prisoners never went to war, but were merely transferred to Russian jails near the Ukrainian border, according to information requests filed by their relatives. An additional 150,000 are in training camps, officials said, meaning there is the potential for half a million soldiers to join the offensive. In the early phases of thewar, the Russian Army had copious armored vehicles, artillery and other heavy weaponry but relatively few soldiers on the battlefield. At least Ill have a chance to fight for my freedom. Its this 19th-century mentality of grabbing a chunk of land for personal glory, she said. Women POWs told interviewers that they were not subjected to physical violence but described being psychologically tormented by the screams of male POWs being tortured in nearby cells. We were received with shouts, beatings, humiliations, said Mr. Fedorenko, 47, who had been serving time in Kherson for theft, describing his introduction to a Russian-controlled prison. Most of the enlisted men were serving time for petty crimes like robbery and theft, but records from one penal colony seen by The New York Times show that the recruits also included men convicted of aggravated rape and multiple murders. A Ukrainian mother had plans to change her life this year. It could be, Colonel Kostenko said, that such infantry assaults on entrenched defenses will remain mostly confined to the fight for Bakhmut and that they are being used to conserve tanks and armored personnel carriers for the expected offensive. After most of his colleagues died in an assault on a factory outside. appreciated. The convicts were pleasantly surprised when Russian guards came to escort them out of jail when their sentences expired. Oleksandr Fedorenko in his hometown, Pryluky, in Ukraine, last month. Source: Ukrinform with reference to Dmytro Lubinets, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, during a conference Quote: "We cannot say for sure how many Ukrainians are on the territory of Russia at the moment, because Russia no longer has a professional army in the traditional sense. What we consider before using anonymous sources. There have also been reports of dead bodies next to Prison No. "Our batch was 130 people, but we also have many amputees, and we probably have 40 people left", he added, saying many different groups of prisoners were added to their unit over time. Hes gasping.. One soldier was wounded and screamed, Help me! And when she finally made it to Kyiv, she was directly taken to the psychiatrist., This is not an excuse to those who violate the rules of warfare on either side or the frontline, Kuleba continued. From there, they made it home, though some were detained by Ukraines intelligence officers, questioned for 12 hours and put through a lie detector, on suspicion of collaboration. The Times also viewed videos of interrogations by the Ukrainian authorities. The Russians behavior befuddled the convicts from the start, with no one, including apparently their new jailers, having much of an idea what to do with them. Yet the operation remains largely cloaked in secrecy and propaganda. 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