Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 47,660
Thanks: 27,646
Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts
|
Re: Ukraine Continues to BLOW UP & Obliterate Parts of Russia & BLAST/Destroy Russia
Ukraine Blows Up Five Jets Deep Within Russian Territory - What We Know About Drone Attacks in Russia
Wagners' Prigozhin Makes First Video Appearance Since Moscow Mutiny
Wagners' Soldiers Committing Violent CRIMES in Russia - Including Rape & MURDER- Women TERRIFIED as Violent EX Partners Return From Ukraine
BBC 23 AUG 2023
Wagner Group, What & Where Are Its Fighters?
Thousands of mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group are now in Belarus, helping to train its soldiers.
Polands' government is sending an additional 10,000 troops to the Belarusian border, saying it needs to guard against incursions by Wagner fighters. And the BBC has learned that several prisoners recruited by Wagner to fight in Ukraine have been accused of committing serious crimes since returning to Russia.
What is the Wagner Group and How Big is it?
Wagners' leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin says he founded the group in 2014.
A wealthy businessman with a criminal record, Prigozhin is known as "Putin's chef" because he provided catering for the Kremlin.
In 2014, Wagner started backing pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, and is thought to have helped Russia annex Crimea.
Wagner forces are also active in Africa and the Middle East.
It's thought that the group takes its name from the radio call sign of its first field commander - Dmitry Utkin.
Before the war in Ukraine, Wagner had an estimated 5,000 fighters - mostly veterans of Russia's elite regiments and special forces.
However, Prigozhin said last June that its numbers had grown since the start of the Ukraine war to 25,000 fighters.
Although mercenary forces are technically illegal in Russia, Wagner registered as a "private military company" in 2022.
What Did Wagner Do in Ukraine?
Yevgeny Prigozhin with mercenaries in Ukraine.
Wagner was heavily involved in capturing the eastern
Ukrainian city of Bakhmut for Russia.
Ukrainian troops say its fighters were sent into attacks in large numbers over open ground, and many were killed.
File pic of Prigozhin with troops in Bakhmut.
In the weeks before Russia's invasion, it is thought Wagner carried out so-called "false flag" attacks in Ukraine, to give the Kremlin a pretext for invading. These are attacks which one side carries out but blames on its opponent.
How Many Prisoners Did Wagner Recruit?
Prigozhin says Wagner has recruited 49,000 prisoners from Russian jails.
They were given pardons and 100,000 roubles ($1000, £800) each for serving for six months in Ukraine.
Prigozhin says 32,000 prisoners have returned, but independent researchers say that the numbers of survivors could be as low as 20,000.
The BBC has established that 20 former prisoners who fought for Wagner in Ukraine are suspected of having committed serious crimes, including rape and murder, since returning to Russia.
Why Did Wagner Troops Stage a Mutiny?
Prigozhin regularly criticised Russia's defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of staff of Russia's armed forces, Valery Gerasimov, over their approach to the war in Ukraine.
He also defied an order from the defence ministry to give it control of the group.
On 24 June, about 5,000 Wagner troops seized control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and moved towards Moscow, with the stated aim of removing the military leadership.
However, Prigozhin stopped the advance after negotiations with the Kremlin, which were mediated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Wagner fighters were told they could join Russia's regular army or go to Belarus, along with Prigozhin.
What Are Wagners' Fighters Doing in Belarus?
A satellite image showing the Tsel military base in Belarus
What Do We Know About Drone Attacks in Russia?
Russia Has Repeatedly Accused Ukraine of Carrying Out Drone Strikes on Its Territory in Recent Months.
A Ukrainian drone hit a railway station in the Kursk region on 21 August, injuring five people, and two other drones were shot down in the Moscow region the next day, according to the Russian authorities.
A few days earlier, a suspected drone attack left one of Russia's flagship Tupolev Tu-22 bombers ablaze at an airbase south of St Petersburg, according to footage verified by the BBC.
Although Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibility for specific drone strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said that attacks on Russian territory are an "inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process".
How Many Drone Attacks Have There Been in Russia?
According to Russian media reports monitored by BBC Verify, there have been over 150 suspected aerial drone attacks this year in Russia and in Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.
There have also been about a dozen sea drone attacks on Russian targets in the Black Sea, including on naval bases and the Crimean bridge.
Map of drone attacks in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine between 1 January and 22 August
|