In the war against Ukraine, the Kremlin uses not only ordinary soldiers, but also mercenaries. In eastern Ukraine, the infamous Wagner group is said to be responsible for entire sections of the front, but has now suffered a heavy defeat. A headquarters was destroyed by Ukrainian rocket fire last week. This was apparently made possible by a memorable propaganda glitch. A Russian reporter posted a photo on the social media service Telegram – and overlooked a fatal detail…
The Russian reporter traveled to the east of the country to cover Wagner’s activities in Ukraine and visited a mercenary headquarters in the small town of Popasna. Photos were taken of the reporter posing with the mercenaries. He posted the photos in the popular messenger Telegram – making a deadly mistake in the process.
Photo removed quickly – but it was already too late
The reporter may have noticed details of the whereabouts of the mercenaries showed up in his photos and quickly deleted his post. But by then it was too late: Ukrainian military intelligence had saved the image — and only had to zoom in to find out the mercenary’s exact address. Behind the fighters and the reporter was a sign with the address.
Result of the social media outage: Ukrainian artillery targeted the base and destroyed the Wagner base in the Luhansk region – according to Governor Serhiy Hayday with a US HIMARS rocket launcher. According to Hayday, it was the headquarters of the mercenaries. Nothing is known about the number of victims.
Russian sources confirm attack on Wagner base
Whether, as described by Hayday, the placement alone actually enabled the bombing of the Wagner base is difficult to verify. Sources in Russia also confirm that there was an attack. The BBC quotes a pro-Russian war reporter on Telegram as saying: “There was an attack on a site belonging to the private military company Wagner in Popasna. Sources in Donbass confirm this – perhaps HIMARS. Ukrainian sources report Prigozhin’s death – we do not confirm this. ”
Yevgeny Prigozhin – also known as “Putin’s cook” – is one of the heads of the Wagner group. The oligarch and confidante of the president used to run a luxury restaurant in Moscow, which Putin liked to visit. He is considered the financier of the mercenary force. It was founded by Russian neo-Nazi and former secret agent Dmitri Utkin. His nickname “Wagner” comes from his fondness for the German composer of the same name, who was also admired by Adolf Hitler.
Putin’s “shadow army” is active worldwide
The Wagner group is considered Putin’s “shadow army”. The mercenaries have been deployed all over the world in recent years, for example in Syria, Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Mozambique and Mali. The mercenaries have also been active in Ukraine for years – in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. The Russian government rejects any connection. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks of a “private military company” that carries out assignments all over the world. Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov also speaks of a “security firm” associated with the Wagner group.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
