Wagner Group's Harsh War Recruiting Pitch to Russian Inmates

A few months ago a video was uploaded to “Kremlin Whispers,” an anonymous Telegram channel. The user who shared it wrote that the video had been leaked by an employee of a penal colony in Yoshkar-Ola, a city about 400 miles east of Moscow. That employee uploaded it to Russia’s largest social network, and although it was deleted within an hour, by that time it had already made its way to Telegram and quickly spread. The video shows Yevgeny Prigozhin, the de facto head of Wagner Group and a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, giving what amounts to a recruiting pitch – albeit a harsh one – to Russian inmates.

And as an audiobook here:

[ryanvalicek]

That was the most honest military recruitment pitch ever

[CallsignEskimo-lo]

The US equivalent would be a recruiter whose central pitch was "We saved you a prime spot in Arlington."

[reginaldlagrone]

The most dangerous person on the battlefield is the prisoner because he's fighting for his freedom.

[khandimahn]

This sounds like a plot out of a movie. It's crazy to think that this actually happens.

[andresilvasophisma]

A PMC giving pardons after 6 months of fighting sounds a bit sketchy, said none of the prisoners.

[gram]

Prigozhhin looks like a villain from a James Bond movie.

[CastawayHikes]

That man told those convicts no lies, my recruiter told me many 🤣

[bill]

The sledgehammer "firing" squad.

[reubensandwich]

So you're telling me they have better odds playing Russian Roulette than completing their contract for their freedom.

[chrv]

Thanks for your informative video. As always worth listening to.

[johnroscoe]

I mean... you can't deny it's kinda refreshing to hear him be so honest. Saying you WILL be a shock troop. Not skirting around the fact you'll probably die. Make no mistake, I'm not APPLAUDING any of this, it's just bizarre when such brutal honesty comes from, for lack of a better term "the Bad Guy." Which Russia no doubt is in this conflict.

[WeatherFox]

Ward, you said "Russia is a hard land", and after hearing this, I've no reason to question that. Given the choice, I could see why some of these men would take the offer. Zero percent chance of getting out of a gulag vs. a 10% chance of living a free life. I wonder how many thought this would be a way to "atone" for their crimes, whether they survive or not, (just thinking out loud). I believe they used this tactic in WW2 as well, using inmates as shock troops, or forcing them to clear mine fields.

[thisaccountijn]

Hey Ward, I just got your book (Punks War) from a family member for christmas, good read, highly reccomend!

[kpkndusa]

I was in the Army in the 70's, there was still the option to go into the army to serve out part of your sentence.

[xiaoka]

6 months sounds like a death sentence.

[geraldheinig]

That's hard core all right. Prigozhin doesn't piss about and gets straight to the point 👍

[lucky_one]

That adds some perspective...thanks Ward.

[cenccenc]

There is a lot of discussion in the last few days from both russian and other military sources that russia is running out of assault troops (i.e. "storm troopers"), and thus can no longer go on any significant offensives anymore. Just defensive operations of the mobilized conscripts holding trenches.

[keegan]

“Shock troops” I’m sure that means “Cannon fodder”

[roderickcampbell]

Ward is always worthwhile. I watch, read anytime.