Two men posing as Russian unit commanders of the Wagner mercenary group have admitted killing children, women and pensioners in Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.
In the chilling videos, the two talk about the alleged execution of more than 20 Ukrainian children and youths and the explosion of a well into which more than 50 injured Ukrainian prisoners were thrown.
Other dead were those who refused to fight in Putin’s war, they said.
The two – who say they were conscripts pardoned by Putin in August after working for Wagner for six months – admitted killing “everyone – women, men, pensioners and children” on orders.
They claimed that Wagner’s boss – Yevgeny Prigozhin, nicknamed Putin’s “boss” – personally ordered executions and murders.
The chilling videos show the two men – Alexei Savichev (left) and Azamat Uldarov (right) – reporting on the alleged execution of more than 20 Ukrainian children and youths and the explosion of a well into which more than 50 injured Ukrainian prisoners were thrown
One of the two commanders, named Azamat Uldarov, said he killed a five-year-old child on orders.
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He revealed that he shot a girl in the head when she was five years old to confess to an expatriate Russian human rights group called gulagu.net
He said, “She was screaming, she was a little kid, you know?
“She was five or six years old and I, you know, fired the control shot because I wasn’t supposed to release anybody. That was the order.’
He explained: “We’re killing each other and I have no idea why. I just can’t understand it. i want to cry But I won’t cry, I’m so tired, I’ve been crying for the second day…
“If I tell you the whole truth about what’s going on, your hair will stand on end.”
He spoke of grotesque atrocities in Soledar and Bakhmut. The battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut was the bloodiest fighting of the war yet, with Wagner heavily involved in Russia’s efforts to take control.
The nearby town of Soledar was taken earlier this year, with Wagner’s leader drawing the ire of the Kremlin by claiming his troops were solely responsible.
“We were ordered to clean up and destroy them all,” Uldarov said.
“We arrived with the last group of Wagnerians, 150 people. And we were ordered to destroy alone on the road, and to be on the defensive by any means necessary. We went and killed everyone.
“There were women, men, grandfathers, retirees and children,” he said.
The other commander, Alexei Savichev, said that after a visit by journalists, he and another comrade were ordered to slaughter civilians.
He was aware of at least 70 executions of Russians by Russians, he said.
They were killed because they refused to fight or kill civilians, he claimed.
citizens left. And there was an order: Anyone who is 15 [years old] and most importantly – being shot at once without saying a word,” he claimed.
“20 to 24 people were shot dead, of whom 10 were 15-year-old and 17-year-old teenagers. How many were shot? Maybe 24 people, maybe 20.’
He said they were forced to “obey orders” for fear of being thrown in jail. When they told journalists about the atrocities, one commander said they were “immediately drunk”, he said.
The two men who confessed are now in Russia, and if true, face jail time or worse.
The two claimed that Wagner’s mastermind – Yevgeny Prigozhin, nicknamed Putin’s “boss” (pictured earlier this month) – personally issued orders for executions and murders. Wagner mercenaries admit to killing women and children
Smoke can be seen in this drone footage of Bakhmut amid the Russian attack on Ukraine, in this handout video screenshot released on April 15
In November, Russian prisoner and Wagner fighter Yevgeny Nuzhin – who switched sides in the war in Ukraine – was executed with a sledgehammer in a disturbing video that went viral online. Prigozhin described Nuzhin as a traitor, with Putin’s closest ally reacting to the clip saying a “dog gets a dog’s death.”
A second Wagner exile – Dmitri Yakushchenko – was killed in the same way in February this year. His death was shown in a second equally gruesome video.
The head of the human rights group Gulagu, Vladimir Osechkin, said: “Azamat and Alexei are in Russia, they are 100 percent under no influence of the SBU [Ukrainian intelligence] or CIA or anybody.”
He believes in their “horrific details of the execution of more than 20 Ukrainian children and youths”. [and] The explosion of a mine with more than 50 wounded prisoners is compelling evidence of war crimes.
As well as killing opponents of the war and “cleansing” residential buildings – “to kill everyone, including children”.
Savichev said he was ordered in January in Bakhmut “near the barracks, behind the jam factory,” to throw grenades into a hole full of dozens of wounded and dead and then burn the bodies with gasoline and diesel.
The dead were Russians and Ukrainians.
“I carried out the order and left,” he said.
“Both former commanders of the Wagner PMC units said that Yevgeny Prigozhin personally issued criminal orders for the executions and murders, and also approved terrorist methods and atrocities.”
Commenting on an infamous video of a soldier being beheaded, he said it was “nonsense” compared to what was happening in the background.
When asked how many shots he saw, Savichev replied, “I’ll tell the truth.” I don’t want to deceive me and you. About 70 people were shot.”
Those executed included inmates from a correctional facility in Russia’s Voronezh region, he said.
Uldatov spoke about his motives for revealing the details.
Pictured: Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin can be seen in a February video with fighters who claim his mercenaries have taken the town of Soledar
Pictured: A soldier is seen through the window of the PMC Wagner Center during the official opening of the office building in Saint Petersburg, Russia, November 4
“I want to punish everyone. I want Russia and other countries to know the truth. I don’t want war, I don’t want bloodshed,” he said.
“Do you see me with a cigarette in my hand? I carried out the order with this hand, killed the children. Understood? On order.
“What we did when we went to Soledar and Bakhmut, that was the scene. We were ordered to clean up and kill everyone.”
He was asked, “Who gave such orders?”
He replied: “Start from the top. I had [commander] Korshun. [inaudible].
“This is the first commander. Then Korshun. is above them [Yevgeny] Prigozhin, who told us not to release anyone, is killing everyone.”
Uldarov – who was in tears – said he took part in a mass killing of civilians in Bakhmut on March 18.
“There were about 300, including about 40 children,” he said. “We were ordered to kill everyone. It was in the basement of a nine-story apartment building. The order came from Prigozhin,” he said. “No prisoners.”
“We are people of the same religion… I don’t understand why we killed each other.”
Empty coffins were returned to Russia because some of the victims had nothing left, he said.
Prigozhin called Osechkin a “maniac and degenerate”.
“About shooting children – of course no one ever shoots civilians or children, no one needs to,” he said in response to the admissions.
“We went there to save them from the regime they were under.” He added in the video: “We never touched [children] and don’t touch. This is an outright lie.”
One of those allegedly killed by the former commanders is still alive, he said.
Pictured: Vladimir Osechkin, Russian human rights activist and founder of Gulagu.net. When his human rights organization released the confessions, he said he had no reason to believe the two were under the influence of Russian security forces.
The confessions of the two Wagner mercenaries are certainly not the first time brutal Russian war crimes have been reported.
Within the first month of the war, reports came out of Ukraine of civilians being executed by Russian soldiers, with Kiev accusing Moscow of genocide.
National headlines reported several civilian casualties in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, following the withdrawal of Russian troops from the area in March 2022.
Hundreds of bodies were found in the city, including some with their hands tied behind their backs, believed to have been executed.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
