1/ The Wagner mercenary group has already executed as many as 40 of its own men, according to Russian human rights activist Olga Romanova. She says in an interview that Wagner has recruited around 35,000-40,000 prisoners. Relatives say some were tortured into joining. ⬇️ 
2/ Olga Romanova is the founder of the human rights group Russia Behind Bars, which campaigns for the rights of prisoners. It has been closely following the widespread recruitment by Wagner of prisoners from Russian penal colonies, which has taken place across Russia.
3/ The recent gruesome murder on camera of a Wagner convict soldier is not an isolated incident, says Romanova in an interview with the Telegram channel 'We can explain'. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin has been open about killing his own men for infractions of his rules.
4/ Romanova says around 40 Wagner men have been executed for desertion, attempting to surrender, looting, alcohol or drug abuse, and "sexual relations" (this may mean committing rape). The killings have been entirely extrajudicial. Wagner calls this practice "zeroing a person".
5/ She says that around 35,000-40,000 people have been recruited from Russia's penal colonies.
The full interview with Romanova can be seen on YouTube (see below).
The full interview with Romanova can be seen on YouTube (see below).
6/ 'We can explain' and Tayga.info both report that forcible recruitment is now taking place in penal colonies. If confirmed, this would be a major change from previous practice, when Wagner's head Yevgeny Prigozhin insisted that he only wanted volunteers.
7/ Relatives of prisoners say "there are mass humiliations, beatings of prisoners, torture and the use of stun guns" in the IK-37 penal colony in the Kuzbass region. The brother of one man says his imprisoned relative was "strapped to hot radiators for 19 hours."
8/ "We, relatives of prisoners, know for sure that they are forced to sign contracts in order to go to war. Some prisoners are badly beaten, their movement is now only possible with the help of cellmates."
9/ Penal colonies in several parts of Russia are reported to have been cut off from contact with the outside world after Wagner recruiters arrived, ostensibly after COVID-19 and flu outbreaks (see below).
https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1588465024846401539
10/ It's likely this was done to stop relatives persuading their imprisoned loved ones from signing contracts with Wagner. At least 1,000 prisoners are estimated to have been recruited from blockaded prisons in the Kemerovo and Novosibirsk regions.
11/ It's worth noting that all of this is supposed to be illegal under Russian law. Wagner is operating with impunity; as Romanova notes, the Russian government is covering for it.
12/ "They won't get anything for [killing their own men]," Romanova says. "Any enquiries [about the fate of a convict] are answered by the Federal Penitentiary Service that it is a state secret." /end
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