Thread by @lizafokht

This is a story by me & @lotareva3 about how Wagner recruited Evgeny Nuzhin in prison to fight in Ukraine, then apparently killed him with a sledgehammer for deserting. and while I strongly encourage you to read, I also want to share some personal thoughts
bbcrussian.substack.com/p/the-inside-s…

Of course, the mere fact that a murderer can be recruited to invade another country and then killed with a sledgehammer for “treason” is shocking by itself. But for me one of the most outrageous aspects of this is how stories like that have almost become new normality in Russia

My colleagues have been investigating Wagner and its boss Prigozhin for years. We know plenty about their involvement in conflicts all around the world — illegal under Russian and international laws. The difference is that the Kremlin knew it too — and therefore tried to hide it

For years, Russian officials denied any connection with Wagner. Prigozhin sued countless journalists for naming him the owner of the group (always successfully). Even after the beginning of the invasion Lavrov insisted that Wagner is not involved whatsoever

But then everything changed. Prigozhin openly admitted that he founded Wagner in 2014. He is allowed to recruit as many prisoners as he likes and personally goes to penal colonies to do that without any resistance from the government - no one cares

Russia government media quote Wagner commanders like they are just ordinary officials or MoD people — after years of silence on the matter. Putin personally gives a medal to an ex-prisoner who is supposed to be serving 7 years for armed robbery

Nuzhin (yes, a criminal, but still a Russian citizen) is publicly executed. Prigozhin openly mocks it by sending the EU Parliament a stained sledgehammer (what?!). No one cares. No investigation. The Kremlin says “it’s none of our business” (sic!)

I know that some people will think that, after a year of invasion, occupation, war crime and despair that Russia brought to Ukraine, things like this are not shocking anymore. And maybe these people are right

But I believe this story is still a good illustration of how far the understanding of good and bad, normal and outrageous has shifted in Russia over the last year. No sign it’s going to shift back anytime soon.