A former Russian convict and member of the Wagner Group, Alexey Savichev, confessed to participating in killing and torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) during his six-month stint in the eastern part of Ukraine, according to The Guardian.
Savichev was released on a presidential pardon on September 12 from Voronezh prison and was recruited by Wagner last September. In a video testimony with Gulagu.net, a rights group, Savichev said his command was instructed "not to take any prisoners, and just shoot them on the spot."
He provided details of participating in summary executions of Ukrainian POWs, including killing 20 Ukrainian soldiers by spraying them with bullets and torturing injured soldiers by tossing grenades into their ditch.
Savichev's confession sheds light on the war crimes committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine. Wagner, which has recruited tens of thousands of inmates, including convicted murderers, to fight in eastern Ukraine, offers freedom if the mercenaries survive a near-suicidal six-month stint, which Savichev completed on March 12. In response to Savichev's testimony, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called for those responsible to be punished. At the same time, Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's chief of staff, stated that a confession was not enough and that the culprits must face harsh and fair punishment.
Although several Russian soldiers have fled abroad and described witnessing Russian war crimes since the start of the war, Savichev's testimony is a rare account. But Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, denied accounts of former Wagner soldiers committing war crimes, calling it a "flagrant lie." Savichev, who is now on the run, for fear of his life, has received multiple threats since giving the interview.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.