Putin Ally Reacts To Video Of Defector Being Killed By Sledgehammer: 'A Dog Receives A Dog's Death'

A Russian oligarch and close confidant of President Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, reacted to an assassination video of a former mercenary who changed sides in September to support Ukraine. 

What Happened: An unverified video of Yevgenny Nuzhin, a former Wagner mercenary, being executed by a sledgehammer blow to the head after admitting having changed sides in September to “fight against the Russians” is doing rounds on the internet. 

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The video first appeared on the Grey Zone Telegram channel in November 2022 – one of several handles Russian media said was linked to the Wagner group.

Prigozhin, who founded the Wagner private military group, in comments released by his spokesperson, according to Reuters, said the video should be called “A dog receives a dog’s death.”

“Nuzhin betrayed his people, betrayed his comrades, betrayed consciously,” said Prigozhin, adding, “Nuzhin was a traitor.”

The U.S. and European Union have sanctioned Prigozhin for his role in Wagner. 

“Do not forget, there are not only traitors who throw away their automatic guns and go over to the enemy,” he said. 

“Some traitors are holed up in offices, not thinking about their own people. Some of them use their own business jets to fly to those countries that seem neutral to us so far. They fly away so as not to participate in today’s problems. They are traitors, too,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of committing war crimes and said investigators have already documented more than 400 Russian war crimes.

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This story was originally published on Nov. 14, 2022.