Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin says a defector to Ukraine died “a dog’s death for a dog”.
Image source, Yuri Butusov/YouTubeThe head of private Russian military group Wagner has defended a brutal video apparently showing the death of a mercenary who defected to Ukraine.
Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin said unverified footage of Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, being struck with a sledgehammer was “a dog’s death for a dog”.
The convicted murderer announced in September he had changed sides.
He was being held as a prisoner of war by Ukraine – but it is not clear how he ended up in the new video.
In September, after his capture by Ukraine, he gave details of his surrender in an interview with a Ukrainian journalist.
He said he was recruited personally by Mr Prigozhin but went into the conflict in Ukraine with the intention of giving himself up.
Warning: This article contains distressing details
The footage of the summary killing was posted over the weekend on the Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel Grey Zone.
It begins with Nuzhin describing how he went to the front as a member of Wagner, after being recruited in August. He said he intended to change sides and “fight against the Russians”.
After being captured by the Ukrainians, he says he was hit over the head while on the street in Kyiv on 11 November – it’s not clear why or how he was free to walk around Kyiv.
After being attacked, lost consciousness and woke up in the cellar where the film was being made.
After that an unidentified man appears to attack Nuzhin with a sledgehammer. He falls to the ground and is further beaten to death.
Mr Prigozhin said in a statement that “Nuzhin betrayed his people, betrayed his comrades”.
He sarcastically described the video as “excellent directorial work that’s watchable in one sitting”.
“I think this movie is called ‘A Dog’s Death for a Dog’,” he added.
Meanwhile the Kremlin has tried to distance itself from the video, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying “it was not our business”.
Mr Prigozhin is a former restaurateur and close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He set up the Wagner group, a mercenary recruiting company, in 2014 – but only publicly acknowledged this fact in September.
The group first emerged in eastern Ukraine in 2014, at the start of the conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian proxies in the Donbas, and has since been involved in fighting in Syria and several African countries.
Since the invasion in February, several of its members have been accused by Ukraine of committing war crimes.
In September Mr Prigozhin was seen recruiting convicts for Wagner at a Russian prison.
This video can not be played