INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
go to exile in Belarus, four former and current Wagner fighters who spoke to The Moscow Times shared mixed views toward the rebellion and
Bakhmut, Ukraine.Personal archiveRoman had decided to leave his job in finance last year and enlist with Wagner out of a sense of "civic
Ukraine, advancing with his unit from Popasna to Bakhmut
Russian invasion of Ukraine.Both Roman and Vlad said they were shocked when Prigozhin declared an armed uprising against Defense Minister
in less than 24 hours, it still took a heavy toll: some 15 Russian soldiers were killed, including some pilots, and several military
mercenaries said they remained fully loyal to Prigozhin, such as Malik, 29, who, just one week after the coup, walked down Nevsky Prospekt
Petersburg wearing a cap and T-shirt bearing the Wagner skull logo."It's not forbidden; I remain a patriot of my country," said Malik, also
a veteran of the battle for Bakhmut, commenting on his outfit
In the days following the attempted mutiny, the recruitment of mercenaries for the war in Ukraine appeared to continue as usual in several
for his service in the Wagner Group.Personal archiveBut as the head of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrei Kartapolov pointed out,
Wagner will now have to sign a contract with the Defense Ministry or it will lose state funding and will no longer be able to participate in
