Closing ranks. A mercenary from Russia’s notorious Wagner Group describes his realisation that the real enemy he faced in Ukraine was Russia’s military leadership — Novaya Gazeta Europe
novayagazeta.eu
Things have been rather quiet for Fyodor Ogarkov (not his real name) since the failure of the June mutiny orchestrated by the late Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. The 34-year-old businessman, father-of-two, and erstwhile Wagner mercenary has found himself on extended leave, during which he agreed to explain to Novaya-Europe how a self-proclaimed patriot who went to fight in Ukraine “for the children” ended up marching on Moscow in an attempt to overthrow Russia’s Defence Minister.

Ogarkov decided to go to war at the beginning of the year, and applied to the military for a contract. He had been thinking about enlisting to serve in the so-called “special military operation” for a while, he says, clarifying that he had wanted to do so “for the children”.

“I’d been watching broadcasts from Ukraine, with the constant calls to kill Russian children, so that’s what made me decide to go,” he explains, though when asked to cite a case in which Russian children had been slaughtered, he admitted he was unable to. However, there were many examples both on TV and social media, he added.

  • DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe
    332·
    2 years ago

    Just how gullible do you have to be to think Ukraine is genociding Russian children, like there’s an ethnic difference in the first place…

    Well, gullible enough to join a Nazi mercenary group to fight Putin’s war and then march on Moscow without a clear plan, apparently.

      • sic_1@feddit.de
        6·
        2 years ago

        It’s dangerously naive to think propaganda Like this wouldn’t work everywhere. Look at how Americans vigorously fight healthcare, for example.

    • 100_percent_a_bot@lemmy.world
      12·
      2 years ago

      It’s easy to see for people who grew up in a free country but if everything you ever see is propaganda then this can warp your perception greatly

      • ITypeWithMyDick@lemmy.world
        143·
        2 years ago

        It would be so dumb that youd invade a capital building, attack police, and plan to murder goverment officials all because they were told to by the person who lost an election.

        So glad I live in a free country where this would never happen…

        • 100_percent_a_bot@lemmy.world
          3·
          2 years ago

          It’s not like having access to free information makes you immune to getting captured by propaganda. But the Trumptards chose to get themselves captured. That’s why people in democratic countries are arguably more more culpible if they fall for this kind of crap.

      • Distorted@lemmy.world
        6·
        2 years ago

        It is actually quite easy in Russia: just repeat what TV says and you will blend in perfectly with everyone else. It takes an effort to disagree with the propaganda there: you will be frowned upon if you don’t act like everyone else. But the system is made such that it is very easy, almost natural, to go with the flow [of the Putin’s regime].