Police raided dozens of properties in Moldova and Ukraine, officers mentioned, as a part of a cross-border investigation into lots of of individuals linked to Russian mercenary teams and who allegedly dedicated conflict crimes in Ukraine.
The European police company Europol mentioned in a press release on October 31 that authorities had recognized greater than 650 folks from 9 nations implicated in rape and abstract executions of civilians and prisoners-of-war. The folks served as a part of Wagner Group and Redut, the company mentioned, two interlinked Russian navy entities.
The company mentioned police in Moldova and Ukraine raided 70 homes on October 29, seizing weapons, ammunition, computer systems and digital tools linked to the now-defunct Wagner Group, whose troopers have performed a shadowy position preventing not solely in Ukraine, but additionally Syria, Libya, and a number of African nations.
The raids additionally netted movies and pictures, in addition to uniforms and badges tied to Wagner, Europol mentioned. Some of the proof pointed to mercenary troopers serving within the Democratic of Congo, certainly one of a number of African nations the place Wagner troopers are identified to have a presence.
Both Moldovan and Ukrainian prosecutors confirmed the raids in separate press statements.
“Ukrainian cops are discovering Russian conflict criminals in numerous nations world wide and are doing every thing doable to make sure that every of them receives a good punishment,” the National Police of Ukraine mentioned in a assertion.
It was unclear precisely how lots of the 654 those that Europol mentioned had been implicated in alleged conflict crimes have been arrested or their general whereabouts.
Aside from Ukrainians and Moldovans, residents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Bosnia Herzegovina, have additionally been recognized, Europol mentioned.
Ukrainian authorities have arrange a devoted prosecutors’ unit charged with gathering proof of conflict crimes dedicated throughout the more-than 45-month-old all-out Russian invasion. The effort has drawn investigators and assist from different nations as properly.
After the demise of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a mysterious aircraft crash, Wagner Group was largely damaged up, with numerous navy items absorbed by the Defense Ministry or included into different paramilitary organizations.
Redut, the opposite entity recognized within the raids is a shadowy recruitment community run by the Russian navy’s intelligence company often known as the GRU. Some of Wagner’s items are believed to have been absorbed by Redut.
