The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has threatened not to take any more prisoners during the fighting and to kill all Ukrainian soldiers. “We will simply destroy everyone on the battlefield,” Prigozhin said on Sunday on the Telegram channel of his press service.
He justified this with an allegedly intercepted radio message from the Ukrainians, in which they were discussing the shooting of injured Wagner mercenaries.
Wagner boss: “Kill everyone who is on the battlefield”
Prigozhin accused Kiev of violating international law. As soon as one side has taken prisoners of war, it is responsible for their care and security, said the 61-year-old. Since he is sticking to it, he will not make any more prisoners of war in the future. “We will kill everyone who is on the battlefield and take no more prisoners,” said the entrepreneur close to the Kremlin.
Fourteen months ago, Russia launched its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. The Wagner mercenaries fight alongside regular troops in the neighboring country and have been active for months, especially in the Bachmut area. This is where the heaviest and bloodiest fighting in Ukraine is currently taking place, with heavy casualties on both sides. Observers also attribute the losses on the Russian side to the ruthless tactics of the Wagner leadership, which sent its own soldiers – often former prisoners – into the battlefield like living targets to reconnoiter enemy positions.
