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​Wagner Group’s Ex-Convicts and Mercenaries Claim Veteran Status and Benefits

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The russian military has begun awarding veteran status to members of the Wagner Group / open source
The russian military has begun awarding veteran status to members of the Wagner Group / open source

The russian military has begun awarding veteran status to members of the Wagner Group

Russian military authorities have begun issuing official veteran certificates to members of the notorious Wagner Group, a private military company operating outside the law. This decision applies even to the thousands of ex-convicts recruited from prisons across the country, some of whom committed heinous crimes like rape, murder and assault. Many also suffer from severe viral infections like Hepatitis B, C, and HIV/AIDS.

These veteran certificates grant significant social benefits and state payments, effectively giving legitimacy to their dubious service, National Resistance Center of Ukraine reports. This comes after President Putin himself declared the need to regulate Wagner’s activities and restore rights to its members. This follows a failed coup attempt led by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Read more: ​Kremlin Shrouds Wartime Issues in Secrecy as Morale Falters and Desertion Rises
The russian military has begun awarding veteran status to members of the Wagner Group Defense Express Wagner Group’s Ex-Convicts and Mercenaries Claim Veteran Status and Benefits
The russian military has begun awarding veteran status to members of the Wagner Group / open source

The group’s personnel have been shuffled into various Storm Z units within the russian military. These units served as russia’s covert proxies in past conflicts, allowing them to participate without officially deploying regular troops. Some have even been deployed to Africa, where russia props up repressive regimes.

Read more: ​The russians Are Depriving Ukrainians in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of their Right to Medical Care
TAGS russiaWar