A man, allegedly recruited by Russia’s Wagner Group to fight in Ukraine while imprisoned, has been arrested after deserting his post and killing a Russian police officer, they reported Wednesday.
The infamous Kremlin-linked mercenary group began turning to Russia’s criminal system earlier this year to bolster its ranks in Ukraine, Western defense officials confirmed in September.
Those incarcerated were offered release from prison in exchange for their service on the front lines as Russia sought to add men to its fighting force and offset its heavy losses.
Russian troops take part in drills at the Kadamovskiy firing range in the Rostov region of southern Russia on December 14, 2021.
(AP)
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According to Russian media on Wednesday, Pavel Nikolin, 38, was detained on suspicion of shooting a police officer on Tuesday in the Russian city of Novoshakhtinsk, located less than 15 miles from the border with the Ukrainian region of Luhansk.
The Russian channel Telegram Baza, which regularly publishes information related to Russia’s government or military dealings, reported that Nikolin was serving time on charges related to robbery at a prison near the eastern Russian city of Ufa.
A mural depicting Russian paramilitary mercenaries “Wagner Group” reading “Wagner Group – Russian Knights” on the wall of a building in Belgrade, on November 17, 2022.
(OLIVER BUNIC/AFP via Getty Images)
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Wagner’s recruit reportedly “changed his mind” about fighting in the Ukraine and left his post on November 24.
The circumstances surrounding the attack when Nikolin fired at police officers with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a Soviet-era weapon designated an AK-47, remain unclear.
At least one police officer was injured in the fight, and Russian authorities have reportedly closed public transport and encouraged residents to stay indoors while a chase raged, RIA reported.
Nikolin was allegedly found on Wednesday at a pig farm, where he resisted arrest before footage from Baza showed him being escorted by Russian officials.
Ukrainian National Guard soldiers fire at Russian positions from an anti-aircraft gun in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Friday, November 11, 2022.
(AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)
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It is unclear what will happen to Nikolin next, although comments made by Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin earlier this year suggest he could face a death sentence.
“No one goes back behind bars,” Prigozhin told inmates according to reports from September. “If you serve six months, you’re free. If you come to Ukraine and decide it’s not for you, we’ll execute you.”
