Prigozhin, the Kremlin rejected US sanctions against Russia’s Wagner group
January 27 (Reuters) – Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday USAhis own “Wagner” military reacted sarcastically to the new sanctions against his group, and the Kremlin said that Washington had been defaming Wagner for years without reason.
United States Thursday Ukraine in the most intense battles of the war Russia Wagner, who fought on his side, is a transnational responsible for widespread human rights violations crime as an organization.
Prigozhin said in a statement through the press service: “We conducted an internal investigation into the crimes of the Wagner group, but we did not find anything harmful.” If anyone has any information about Wagner’s crimes, please send it to our press office or post it. We can help our American colleagues to form their position.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Washington “demonized” this group not for the first time.
“This has been going on for many years. As a rule, such statements by Washington are baseless… no evidence, confirmation, nothing is presented to the public,” he said.
After years of operating in the shadows and denying his ties to Wagner, Prigozhin admitted last September that he founded the organization, which sends soldiers to fight in conflicts in Syria and Africa.
In recent months, he has emerged as a key Russian figure in the war in Ukraine and Russia’s weakening campaign strategy Ministry of Defence and openly clashed with the army generals.
Former petty criminal, the president Prigozhin, who became a confidant of Vladimir Putin Russia recruits convicts from its prisons to fight in Ukraine and promises them amnesty in exchange for six months of frontline work. Many are at war perished has been
Britain defense chiefs said last week that up to 50,000 Russians could be fighting for Wagner alongside Russia’s official armed forces in Ukraine.
Wagner employees are numerous both in Africa and Ukraine of human rights are accused of violation.
In Mali and the Central African Republic, rights groups and witnesses say Wagner’s fighters are responsible for atrocities, including rape, mass executions, torture, child abduction and physical abuse. A former Wagner commander who previously fought in Ukraine and fled to Norway said earlier this month he saw Wagner soldiers shot in the back as they tried to escape.
Reporting by Reuters Editing by Gareth Jones, Mark Trevelyan and Frank Jack Daniel
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2023-01-27 15:24:26
Source – reuters
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