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.

  • Windex007@lemmy.world
    42·
    2 years ago

    If you’re running under the story that his “advisors are evil” and Putin was being insulated, then you can absolutely sell it as essentially a hostage rescue.

    It’s not a moot point, and the proof is self evident: there was a prevailing belief among the mutineers that Putin was good while they marched to Moscow.

    Just like it’s self evident that Russian propeganda convinced this guy that he had to join to protect Russian children.

    Trying to armchair any of this has pretty limited value at the best of times, but picking up all of the context and communication relating to the reality constructed around the agents involved and dumping it in the trash first only makes the armchair takes even worse.