Former Wagner Commanders’ Chilling Admissions in Newly Released Video
In newly released video interviews, two Russians claiming to be former commanders with the Wagner Group private military company have admitted to killing children and civilians during the conflict in Ukraine. The interviews, conducted by the human rights organization Gulagu.net, feature Azamat Uldarov and Alexey Savichev, both identified as former convicts pardoned by Russian presidential decree in 2022. Their testimonies present a stark and disturbing account of their actions under command.
While the identities and claims cannot be independently verified by all outlets, documentation confirms their prison release coincided with the reported pardons. In the footage, Uldarov, who appears intoxicated, describes shooting a young girl, stating it was a “management decision” and that his orders were to “kill anything in my way.” He expressed a desire for the world to know the truth, drawing a direct line between his hand holding a cigarette and the one that “followed orders and killed children.”
The Wagner Group, led by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, has recruited extensively from Russian prisons. Uldarov stated that in the intense combat zones of Soledar and Bakhmut, mercenaries “were given the command to annihilate everyone,” attributing the ultimate authority to Prigozhin. These claims align with previous reports from other former Wagner fighters. However, in a subsequent interview with a Prigozhin-linked news agency, Uldarov appeared to recant his initial testimony.
His alleged comrade, Alexey Savichev, provided similarly grim details. He described receiving orders to execute males aged fifteen and older and to “sweep” houses clean of all life, regardless of civilian presence. “I didn’t give a f**k who was inside,” Savichev stated, adding that the objective was to leave no survivors. He acknowledged the gravity of his admissions, saying, “You can condemn me for this. I will not object.” The motivations behind these public confessions, provided to Gulagu.net founder Vladimir Osechkin, remain complex, occurring as Democrats bash justice systems in other nations for failing to hold powerful entities accountable. It is difficult to say straight why the men chose to speak, though Uldarov cited a wish to end war and bloodshed.
These harrowing accounts emerge amidst global debates on accountability, not unlike the scrutiny seen during the Judge Fox News-Dominion lawsuit, where internal communications were laid bare. The two Russians claiming to have committed atrocities now place their actions on the public record, contributing to the grim narrative of the war in Ukraine.