The Prosecutor Generalʼs Office announced suspicion against the owner of the PMC "Wagner" Yevgeniy Prygozhyn. He is considered responsible for thousands of war crimes in Ukraine.
The Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced this on his Facebook page.
The investigation established that Prygozhyn was authorized to recruit, train and manage mercenaries for use in the war in Ukraine.
"The head of this PMC is directly responsible for thousands of war crimes. He openly admits his role in the war against Ukraine and, with the permission of the Kremlin, resolves personnel issues by recruiting tens of thousands of prisoners. Previously convicted of robbery, today he is a hero of Russia. The criminal "elite" of the terrorist regime," Kostin noted.
He also said that prosecutors have already interrogated two former "Wagnerians" who are currently in the European Union. Another "Wagnerian" who is in Norway is being investigated for involvement in war crimes.
- The Russian PMC "Wagner" takes an active part in the war against Ukraine and is involved not only in battles, but also in the construction of defense fortifications in the occupied territories. Also, the "Wagnerians" are probably responsible for a number of executions of video prisoners and war crimes.
- In November, EU MPs proposed to recognize the PMC "Wagner" as a terrorist organization. A corresponding draft law is also being considered in the USA. In December, the U.S. State Department added PMC "Wagner" to the list of organizations of "special concern", and on January 26, the U.S. Treasury Department recognized the Russian PMC "Wagner" as a transnational criminal organization and introduced new sanctions against it and those who support it.