Russia pardons 5,000 prisoners after ending contract with Wagner mercenaries

On March 25, Reuters quoted a statement by Mr. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the private military company Wagner, saying that more than 5,000 prisoners had been pardoned after ending their contracts to fight for this force in Ukraine.

"Currently, more than 5,000 prisoners have been pardoned after completing the contract with Wagner," Prigozhin said in a statement on his Telegram channel on March 25.

Mr. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the private military company Wagner in a video filmed at the Bakhmut battlefield in early March. (Photo: Reuters)

According to Mr. Prigozhin, only 0.31% of prisoners pardoned after serving in Wagner reoffended. According to the head of Wagner, this figure is 10 to 20 times lower than the standard set initially.

The Wagner private military company is currently one of Russia's main forces on the eastern front in Ukraine. In the early stages of the conflict, Wagner members were mainly former soldiers who had served in the Russian army, but the size of this force has expanded over time.

In September 2022, Yevgeny Prigozhin recruited thousands of prisoners of war in Ukraine under contracts with Wagner in exchange for early amnesty.

The addition of thousands of gunmen helped Wagner win many important victories in Eastern Ukraine such as Soledar and Bakhmut.

The Wagner Group's decision to recruit prisoners has drawn criticism from Western countries.

Wagner was founded in 2014. Western intelligence considers Wagner members to be "mercenaries", saying they have fought in many hot spots in Africa and the Middle East.

Since 2018, Wagner has signed numerous security and military assistance contracts with the governments of the Central African Republic and Mali, and has also secured mining rights. With about 5,000 personnel based in Africa, the Wagner force is roughly the size of the U.S. military and support personnel on the continent.

Tra Khanh (Source: Reuters)

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Source: https://vtc.vn/nga-an-xa-5-000-tu-nhan-sau-khi-ket-thuc-hop-dong-voi-linh-danh-thue-wagner-ar760845.html