In a video that emerged Tuesday, the de facto leader of a Russian mercenary outfit known as the Wagner Group is seen promising convicts release from prison in return for a six-month combat tour in Russia¡¯s war against Ukraine.
The man in the footage appears to be Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessperson and close associate of President Vladimir Putin who is rarely seen in public, much less touting his connections to the group so explicitly.
¡°I¡¯m a representative of a private military company ¡ª you have probably heard of it, it is called Wagner,¡± the man tells a large group of prisoners standing before him in black uniforms. That admission is notable because Prigozhin has repeatedly denied any link to Wagner and even sued a Britain-based investigative journalist for suggesting otherwise.
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