Russian oligarch hails murder of ex-combatant who went over to Ukrainian side

Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, responsible for the creation of the Wagner Group, which is heavily involved in the fighting in Ukraine, praised a video showing the brutal murder of a former member of the group.

The video was published over the weekend on the Gray Zone Telegram channel, which frequently shows the activities of the Wagner Group mercenaries.

In the images, a member of the group that defected and went over to the Ukrainian side is killed with a sledgehammer. The man’s name, as he himself reveals in the video, is Yevgeny Nuzhin.

In the video, Nuzhin says: “On the 4th of September I carried out my plan to switch to fighting with Ukrainian troops. On November 11, I was on a street in Kiev when someone hit me on the head and I lost consciousness.”

He adds: “I woke up in the basement, where I was told I would be judged.”

In a matter of seconds after speaking, he is murdered with at least one sledgehammer blow.

Prigozhin was asked about the crime on his Telegram channel. Without directly admitting that the Wagner Group mercenaries were the perpetrators of the murder, the oligarch said: “Nuzhin betrayed his people, betrayed his comrades, knowingly betrayed everyone. He was not arrested or surrendered. Instead, he planned his escape. Nuzhin is a traitor.”

“Russian people can smell betrayal: it’s genetic. Hence the comments on social media,” added Prigozhin, referring to some positive reactions to the murder.

In another Telegram message, Prigozhin called the video “an excellent director’s work”.

“I prefer to see this story in the cinema. As for the executed man, it is clear from this spectacle that he did not find happiness in Ukraine, but that he found unkind, if fair, people. I think the name of that movie is ‘The Dog Gets the Dog’s Death’”.

The text on the Gray Zone channel that accompanies the video says that “the sledgehammer and the traitors have a close relationship according to the ‘orchestra’ [um apelido do Grupo Wagner]🇧🇷 And now, by suddenly disappearing from the investigation in Kiev, the traitor has received the traditional and primordial Wagnerian punishment.”

In early September, Nuzhin was interviewed by Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov and spoke of his surrender to Ukrainian forces and his willingness to fight on Kiev’s side.

The former fighter also spoke about how the Wagner Group recruits prisoners to fight in Ukraine in exchange for a promise of full pardon in Russia.

In early October, Nuzhin gave another interview, this one to Ukrainian journalist Ramina Eskhakzai, expressing his support for Ukraine and revealing more details about the workings of the Wagner Group.

In the conversation, the Russian confirmed that he had spent 23 years in Nizhny Novgorod prison for murder. He was supposed to be released in 2027, but chose to join the Wagner Group to fight in Ukraine and win his freedom sooner.

Furthermore, Nuzhin shared, “My parents live in western Ukraine. How can you make war with your own family?”

It remains unclear how Nuzhin ended up in captivity.

THE CNN contacted the Ukrainian authorities to ask if Nuzhin had been sent to Russian-controlled territory in exchange for the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war, or if he had been kidnapped without the authorities’ knowledge.

On Friday, Ukraine’s President Andriy Yermak’s chief of staff said in a statement that 45 Ukrainian soldiers had returned from captivity in another round of prisoner exchanges.

Anastasia Kashevarova, a former adviser to Duma (Russian parliament) head Viacheslav Volodin, said the exchange included mercenaries from the Wagner Group, but did not name them.

Asked about the video on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We will not comment. We don’t know what it is or its veracity. It is not our business”.