Representative image. AFP
Russia has started recruiting prisoners suffering from infectious diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C for Vladimir Putin’s private mercenary group called the Wagner Group.
The shocking revelation was made by the United Kingdom’s ministry of defence which also mentioned that for the purposes of earlier conflicts, the Wagner Group has usually maintained “relatively high recruitment standards” as it is famed to hire professional soldiers.
The latest recruitment drive has raised concerns over the quality of the group. The ministry said, “The admission of prisoners with serious medical conditions highlights an approach which now prioritises numbers over experience or quality.”
Let’s take a closer look.
Why is the Wagner Group recruiting ill prisoners?
Over 100 Russian convicts with HIV and Hepatitis C are known to have been recruited by the group. What is more bizarre is the fact that these ill prisoners are set apart from regular prisoners with coloured bracelets which mark their diseases, reported Ukraine’s military intelligence.
According to a report by Ukrainska Pravda, a red wristband denotes an HIV-positive patient and a white wristband denotes Hepatitis.
Citing the reason why this has been happening, CNN anchor Erin Burnett said, “There’s a severe shortage of human beings, a severe shortage of troops.”
The US intelligence said earlier that the Russian military is facing severe manpower shortages as it continues to fight with Ukraine and has been seeking to recruit convicted criminals and citizens.
Ukraine’s intelligence also said that the fighters have expressed their growing displeasure over the situation as Russian medics are already known to refuse treatment to injured soldiers suffering from Hepatitis or HIV.
According to The Daily Beast, the news outlet which ran an investigative piece on this, Russia’s current penal system still carries the remnants of a Soviet-era prison caste system. This system has an underclass known as ‘the Shamed’ which occupies the lowest position in the hierarchy. ‘The Shamed’ includes prisoners who are rape victims, homosexuals, outcasts and also those who suffer from infectious diseases. These prisoners have to withstand regular abuse and beating.
A Russian prison observer told the news outlet that these prisoners are being recruited by Wagner as “cannon-fodder” who rarely survive. In an audio message provided to The Daily Beast, a prisoner said that his friends were “thrown into the battle” after just one week of training.
What is the Wagner Group?
According to a report by BBC, the Wagner Group was founded by Dmitri Utkin, who is a veteran of the Chechen wars, a former special forces officer and a lieutenant colonel with Russia’s military intelligence service, GRU.
The first time Wagner came to the surface was in 2014, during Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Kremlin has time and again denied allegations of the group’s apparent link with President Putin. While the Kremlin stresses the illegality of mercenary forces in Russia, some observers have noted that the Wagner Group has played a role in Russia’s war efforts, as it can send these forces to Ukraine while simultaneously denying any relationship with them, reports Indian Express.
Both European Union and US Treasury Department have claimed that the Wagner Group is currently funded and handled by a close ally of Putin, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, although he has repeatedly denied these allegations.
European Union and US Treasury Department have claimed that the Wagner Group is currently funded and handled by a close ally of Putin, Yevgeniy Prigozhin. Wikimedia Commons
According to a report by New York Post, Prigozhin, who is also known as “the chef” for having catering contracts, reportedly started recruiting prisoners in July following failed operations in Donetsk.
Media reports suggest that the group got its name from its founder Utkin’s call sign, ‘Vagner’.
The Wagner Group has been found to be active in countries like Syria and Libya since 2015 and 2016, respectively. In 2017, the group was invited to guard the diamond mines by the Central African Republic.
More recently in 2021, Wagner was invited by Mali to provide security against Islamic militant groups.
The group is also known to be notorious as the United Nations and the French government have previously accused Wagner mercenaries of committing rapes and robberies against civilians in the Central African Republic and as a result of this, the EU imposed sanctions on the group.
Wagner’s involvement in the Ukraine war
Wagner Group mercenaries are suspected to be involved in a number of attacks that took place in eastern Ukraine at the beginning of the war.
Professor of conflict and security at King’s College London, Tracey German told BBC, “About 1,000 of its mercenaries supported the pro-Russian militias fighting for control of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.”
The Wagner Group has likely been given the responsibility for specific sectors of war-torn eastern Ukraine, notes the UK’s ministry of defence.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, analysts have also observed that the Kremlin is increasingly relying on Wagner to maintain its presence in the annexed parts of Ukraine.
Ukrainian prosecutors have alleged that three Warner Group mercenaries had committed war crimes in the village of Motyzhyn near Kyiv in April, alongside regular Russian troops. The war crimes included murder and torture.
With inputs from agencies
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