Either prisoners or your children – Yevgeny Prigozhin on recruiting prisoners for the war in Ukraine

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO — THURSDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER 2022, 23:42

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin and co-owner of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), commenting on reports about the recruitment of prisoners to participate in the war in Ukraine, suggested that those who disagree with such recruitment should send their children to war.

Source: The Insider, citing Prigozhin's comment posted by Concord, a company he owns, on the Russian social network VKontakte

Quote from Prigozhin: "Those who do not want PMCs or prisoners to fight, who talk about this topic, who do not want to do anything and who, as matter of principle, do not like this topic, send your children to the front.

Either PMCs and prisoners, or your children – decide for yourself."

Details: According to the oligarch, "a group of unknown persons [we are talking about Wagner PMC - The Insider], who, naturally for all of us is not there, is fighting wonderfully in the Bakhmut area."

He alleged that these people are "patriots and cannot allow their homeland to be shamed" and are "professionals of the highest level". He also claimed that they are engaged under a well-established management system. They are "perhaps not the most outstanding personalities, but also not complete motherf***ers".

Prigozhin also said that if he were a prisoner, he "would dream of joining this friendly team to be able not only to atone for his debt to the motherland but also to repay it with interest."  

Previously: On 14 September, a video of Yevgeny Prigozhin personally encouraging Russian prisoners to go to war in Ukraine was posted online. 

Background:

• On 4 July, the Russian investigative reporting website Vazhnie Istorii (Important Stories) reported that there were prisoners in the penal colonies of Saint Petersburg who were recruited to go to war in Ukraine as part of Wagner PMC.
• On 20 July, the publication wrote that the PMC Wagner was recruiting for service among Russian prisoners in some 18 penal colonies of Russia.
• Later, it was reported that almost all the prisoners from two Russian penal colonies who were recruited by the Wagner PMC for the war in Ukraine died.

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