I Killed a Child. I Blew Up Others While They Were Alive
By: Giorgio Provinciali
Live from Ukraine ??
What the Wagner group who were released by Putin with the promise to kill did (and still are doing, under different names) in Ukraine.
Below, I share a translation I worked on a couple of years ago with Alla Perdei that remains exclusive to Italy. It includes a deeply disturbing confession from a former Wagner Group member who chose to speak with Oeschkin. This person offers a glimpse into the troubling actions of the mercenaries associated with the so-called Private Military Company, which was formerly under Yevgeny Prigozhins control. It serves as a powerful reminder of the human toll of these events in Ukraine.
It is clear indeed, quite obvious thatthe Wagner Group, along with the events following its official disbandment, operated as a powerful and lethal tool directly controlled by Vladimir Putin, and it was heavily financed by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
This private military company has played a key role in various conflicts, acting with impunity and often carrying out missions that support the Kremlins strategic goals.
Recently,reportshave surfaced about two former inmates, Azamat Uldarov and Aleksey Savichev, who were pardoned by Putin and later got involved with the Wagner Groups operations. These individuals initially made public confessions about their experiences, which were highlighted by human rights advocate Vladimir Osechkin, who has played a major role in exposing the darker side of the groups activities. However, because they faced the threat of exemplary punishment for their admissions, Uldarov and Savichev were compelled to take back their statements.
To verify the identities of these two former Wagner fighters, Osechkin took the step of publishing their personal documents and providing certificates that detail their combat participation and the awards they received for their demonstrated honor while serving in Ukraine. This evidence is further supported by a comprehensive list of hundreds of other ex-prisoners recruited by the Wagner Group. Many of these individuals were enticed with the promise of clemency, including a reduction of their remaining prison sentences, regardless of the severity of their crimes prior to enlistment. This tactic highlights the morally ambiguous practices used by the Wagner Group and the Russian government in their recruitment efforts.
Azamat Uldarov, born on December 7, 1981, shares a notable account of how he was recruited into the notorious Wagner Private Military Company (PMC). He claims that Yevgeny Prigozhin approached him while he was imprisoned at IK-13, a correctional facility run by the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Saratov Region. According to Uldarov, his story took a major turn when he was offered military training at the Krasnoyarsk Krai camp, specifically at the 51 532 base linked to Wagner.
After serving six months in Ukraine as part of Wagners operations, Uldarovs status changed dramatically when he received a pardon from Vladimir Putin. This official pardon wasgrantedby a decree issued on February 9, 2022, marking a significant turning point in his life.
Further evidence backing Uldarovs claims has surfaced from federal archives, as revealed by Sergey Savelyev, confirming his identity and offer extra context about his situation. Notably, a disturbing video clip, which was later removed from the prisons surveillance system, shows Uldarov undergoing torture and brutal treatment while incarcerated in 2020. This harrowing event highlights the complex and often violent reality faced by people like Uldarov in the context of modern warfare and the Russian prison system.
What follows is an excerpt from that vast amount of audio and video material:
The hand that holds this cigarette has killed children. The order to kill came, and I carried it out. Bakhmut and Soledar were part of an obscene show. When we arrived, we were a group of 150 people. Now, only 18 of us remain. We knew that until we captured Bakhmut, we couldnt go back home. The order was to kill everyone: men, women, children, pensioners. Kill anyone and hold your ground at any cost. Do you understand what I did with these hands? You understand? What was I supposed to do? One day, I entered a cellar. It was full of children. The order was not to let a single soul escape. My group and I killed them all. 300 400 people, including around 40 children.
An enormous cellar! Osechkin interrupts him.
It was the base of a nine-story building. We mined it up to the second floor to ensure we did a thorough job. The order was to eradicate every(Ukrainian, ed.)root so that nothing could ever grow back. After giving me orders via video call, the commander asked me to repeat what order I should carry out. I reiterated that I would have to eliminate everyone so nothing would grow back.
And you did it? asks Osechkin.
Of course. I made sure they were all dead. Progozhin himself had asked me not to take hostages. And I didnt take any hostages.
When did it happen? asks Osechkin.
March 18th. When we reached near the center of Bakhmut, we exterminated them all, those bastards. We beat them, those fags. Yes, Im a bit sorry because some children suffered.
Are you in Saratov now, at your house? asks Osechkin.
Yes, but I want to return as a soldier, not as a hired killer. I want my Minister of Defense to let me officially finish what I started. I already have my finger on the trigger. The smell of blood doesnt scare me.
Do you know about Yvgeniy Nuzhen? continues Osechkin.
Yes, the one who tried to escape. They took him to the cellar, told him what to say in the video they would record, and exploded his head with a hammer. We also made a video when we were ordered to kill the Ukrainian hostages.
And how did you kill them? By shooting? Osechkin asked.
If you want the truth, with a knife. We filmed them while we were killing them. I was doing my job when a little girl cried and screamed. She was terrified. She must have been five or six years old. I pointed the gun at her head and shot.
Extending his thumb and little finger from a closed fist, Uldarov mimics thethumb up-thumb downgesture, explaining that this is how Wagnerites used to do:I pay you to kill. We are killers for hire. This is ours if theres a rank for everyone in the army. Lets start from the top. Above me was Korsha, then Kite. Then Iceman, who is Stalin. Still above is Prigozhin. He gave the order. We shouldnt have let anyone go that day. Nobody means nobody. We arrived on the 2nd and left on the 24th. Many of our people died. So many. In front of me were piles of corpses. I buried 14 of them. In which cemetery? asks Osechkin.
We were in the Rostov region, but it was not a cemetery. We went by plane. We buried empty coffins. Mothers will cry empty coffins because theres nothing in there. The bodies remained in Bakhmut. We are illegal killers in Putins service.
Aleksey Savichev, born September 30, 1974, served 30 years in prison. At that time, on December 25th, he would have served his sentence, but in one of the released videos, he reports that on the 1st of the same month, he accepted the job offered by Prigozhin:
They were looking for people who knew how to kill. I know how to do it. I needed a change in my life. As soon as the recruits arrive, they are confronted with traitors and deserters, who are then killed to let the others understand that theres no joke here. Anyone who refuses to follow the first order is hogtied backward, tying their head to their balls so that their ass also burns if they try to move. They are thus handed over to FSB agents.
I imagine. I saw the video of the beheaded Ukrainian prisoner says Osechkin.
What you saw in that video is nothing. Nonsense, Ill tell you this. Yes, its cruel. But what we did when we went to Soledar and Bakhmut was a spectacle.
When Osechkin asks him if he saw any Russians killed before his eyes, Savichev replies:About seventy.
Do you remember the IDs of those people? asks Osechkin.
Kostolom. Serbian. Federal. Lob. Livovich. Rasumnej. The latter, who was called Alekseij Viktorovich (the boys name appears in the list of recruits released, ed.), was killed after having completed some operations in Soledar for getting drunk. There is also a filtration camp for the Wagnerites, through which the mercenaries must pass before repatriating: they are x-rayed by the authorities so that its certain that they dont hide USB pens or other material that they may have used to record something there. Back in Russia, we are forbidden to speak to any journalist. Whoever speaks is canceled.
Savichev repeatedly emphasizes this word, pronouncing each letter:
C-a-n-c-e-l-e-d. They often used this expression to make us understand that we would die. One day, Commander Gilgamesh gave me an order. I could not do it. I had to go near a pit. It must have been about one meter and twenty meters wide, two meters deep, and eight meters long. It was located near the barracks next to the Bakhmut jar lid factory. I cant say exactly how many people were in that ditch. More or less, I would say around sixty. I didnt hear any cries for help, but it was cold enough to see their breath coming out of the trench. Seeing some red and white ribbons wrapped around their uniforms, I told the commander that there were some of ours in there. He replied that they were no longer with us. It was the 19th or 20th of January. I received a can of petrol and about thirty grenades, with the order to explode them against those people and then burn their bodies. I threw those bombs into the trench as if they were apples. Theres no danger in throwing a grenade: you have three seconds before it explodes in your hand.
Were you sure that after these thirty launches, no one was left alive? asks Ovechkin.
I dont know; I didnt even care to check because I had already received the order to warm up a bit.
And the petrol to burn them, where did you get it? urges Ovechkin.
I assure you that theres no petrol shortage there. In Russia, we produce a lot.
How many cans did you use? Osechkin asks again.
I repeat, ONE. Trust me, when you have a lot of irons in the fire, you dont need a lot of fuel. On February 8th or 9th, we were supposed to do an exchange of prisoners with the Ukrainians. It was two in the morning. There were two buses full of people. I dont remember if the exact number was 79 or 89. Once the matter was settled and the journalists left, the order arrived to kill all Ukrainian civilians over the age of 15. Many had come out of the shelters to witness the exchange.
So, in your opinion, how many innocent Ukrainian civilians have you killed? asks Ovechkin.
How can I call them innocent, the Ukrainians? At 15, a Ukrainian is not innocent.
But how many minors have you killed? urges Ovechkin.
Well, 2324. About ten were children.
Did they leave the shelters unarmed? continues the activist.
Of course, they were unarmed; they didnt even have uniforms. When they came out throwing their hands in the air, I saw some tattoos under their shirts.
Dangerous kids for a tattoo? asks Ovechkin.
Yes, as you know, we kill more easily for a tattoo than anything else. Then the order was to clean up a house.
Who was inside? was Osechkins question.
But what do I know? The order was to clean it up. Orders are to be followed, not questioned.
Clean up means? presses Ovechkin.
It means wiping everyone out, killing them, of course. You can criticize me, but I only followed an order for a living. The order is to kill so as not to be killed. Understand me, they picked us up like ticks. A tick doesnt have morals. If theres something to kill, he kills.
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《我殺了一個孩子。我在其他人還活著的時候把他們炸死了》
作者：Giorgio Provinciali
翻譯：旺財球球
烏克蘭現場報道??
瓦格納集團普京釋放並承諾讓他們去殺人的人，在烏克蘭所做的（並以不同名義仍在做的）事情。
（照片插圖：iStories）
下麵是我與Alla Perdei幾年前合作翻譯並仍在意大利流傳的譯文。內容包括一名前瓦格納集團成員向奧謝奇金作出的極其令人不安的懺悔。這名成員向我們展示了與所謂私人軍事公司有關的雇傭軍所實施的行為，該公司曾由葉夫根尼普裏戈津控製。此文強烈提醒人們這些事件在烏克蘭造成的沉重人類代價。
很明顯，事實上無需多言，瓦格納集團及其正式解散後的延續結構，是直接接受弗拉基米爾普京控製的一把強大而致命的工具，並得到俄羅斯國防部的大量資助。
這家私人軍事公司在多場衝突中起到了關鍵作用，它們不受約束的行動，常常執行支持克裏姆林宮戰略目標的任務。
最近有報道披露，兩名前囚犯阿紮馬特烏爾達羅夫和阿列克謝薩維切夫，獲普京赦免，隨後加入瓦格納行動的。這兩人最初對他們的經曆作了公開懺悔，人權活動家弗拉基米爾奧謝奇金在揭露該組織陰暗麵方麵發揮了重要作用。然而，由於麵臨針對他們供認的警戒性懲罰的威脅，烏爾達羅夫和薩維切夫被迫收回了他們的陳述。
（圖：左起：阿紮馬特烏爾達羅夫、阿列克謝薩維切夫。訪談截圖）
為核實這兩名前瓦格納成員的身份，奧謝奇金公開了他們的個人證件並提供了詳列其在烏克蘭服役期間參戰情況及獲所謂榮譽而頒獎的證明。此證據還得到一份包含瓦格納雇傭的數百名前囚犯名單的證實。許多人被以減輕餘刑甚至赦免無論他們在入伍前犯下何種嚴重罪行，的承諾誘騙。此類手法凸顯了瓦格納集團及俄羅斯政府在招兵工作中采取的道德模糊做法。
（圖片來自The Quint World）
阿紮馬特烏爾達羅夫，1981年12月7日生，敘述了他如何被臭名昭著的瓦格納私人軍事公司招募的經過。他聲稱葉夫根尼普裏戈津在他被關押於薩拉托夫地區的IK-13聯邦懲教局管理監獄時找到他。據烏爾達羅夫稱，他的命運在被送往克拉斯諾亞爾斯克邊疆區營地、具體為與瓦格納相關的51532基地接受軍事訓練後發生了重大轉折。
作為瓦格納行動的一部分，在烏克蘭服役六個月後，烏爾達羅夫的身份發生了巨大變化：他得到了弗拉基米爾普京的赦免。該赦免由2022年2月9日頒布的法令授予，標誌著他人生的一個重要轉折點。
聯邦檔案資料進一步證實了烏爾達羅夫的說法。正如謝爾蓋薩維廖夫所披露，也證實了他的身份並提供了更多背景。值得注意的是，一段令人不安的視頻片段（後從監獄監控係統中刪除）顯示烏爾達羅夫在2020年被關押期間遭受酷刑和殘暴對待。這一駭人聽聞的事件凸顯了像烏爾達羅夫這樣的人在現代戰爭和俄羅斯監獄體係中所麵臨的複雜且經常的暴力的現實。
（圖片來源：Getty Images）
下麵摘錄自大量音頻和視頻材料中的一段：
這隻夾著香煙的手殺過孩子。殺人的命令一下達，我就照做了。巴赫穆特和索列達爾是一出淫穢的表演。我們一組剛開始是150人。現在隻剩下我們18個人。我們知道在占領巴赫穆特之前，不能回家。命令是殺光所有人：男人、女人、孩子、退休老人。殺光任何人，不惜一切代價死守陣地。你知道我這雙手做了什麽嗎？你明白嗎？我還能怎麽辦？有一天我進了一個地窖。裏麵全是孩子。命令是不讓一個人逃走。我和我的小組把他們全都殺了。300到400人，其中大約有40個孩子。
一個巨大的地窖！奧謝奇金打斷他。
那是九層樓的地下室。我們把地雷布滿到第二層，以確保斬草除根。命令是連根鏟除每一個（烏克蘭）人，讓什麽都無法再生長。指揮官通過視頻通話給我下達命令後，要我重複我應該執行的命令。我重複到，我要把所有人都消滅，這樣就沒東西再長回來。
你真的這麽做了？奧謝奇金問。
當然。我確保他們全部死了。普裏戈津本人曾要求我不要抓俘虜。我就沒有留任何活口。
是什麽時候發生的？奧謝奇金問。
3月18日。我們靠近巴赫穆特中心時，把他們全都殺了，那些混蛋。我們揍了他們，那些娘們兒。是的，我有點抱歉，因為其中包括些孩子。
你現在在薩拉托夫，你家裏嗎？奧謝奇金問。
是的，但我想以士兵身份回去，不想做一個雇傭的殺手。我希望我的國防部長允許我正式完成我開始的事。我已經把手指放在扳機上了。血腥氣味嚇不到我。
你知道伊夫根尼努任嗎？奧謝奇金繼續問。
知道，就是那個試圖逃跑的人。他們把他帶到地窖，告訴他在他們要錄的視頻裏該說什麽，然後用錘子把他的頭砸開。我們還在被命令殺烏克蘭俘虜時拍了視頻。
你們怎麽殺的？開槍嗎？奧謝奇金問。
想聽實話的話，是用刀。我們一邊殺一邊錄像。一個小女孩哭喊著，尖叫著。她很害怕。她大概五六歲。我把槍對著她的頭開了槍。
（圖片來自Detector Media）
烏爾達羅夫從握緊的拳頭中伸出拇指和小指，模仿瓦格納人常做的豎拇指-下拇指手勢，解釋這是他們的習慣做法：我付錢給你殺人。我們是受雇的殺手。如果軍隊裏有等級，那執行命令就是我們的職責。先從上麵說。我的上麵是Korsha，然後是Kite。然後是Iceman，就是斯大林。更上麵的是普裏戈津。他下的令。那天我們不該放任何人走。沒人就是沒人。我們2號到，24號走。我們很多人都死了。太多了。我的麵前是堆成山的屍體。我埋了14個人。在什麽墳場？奧謝奇金問。
我們在羅斯托夫地區，但那不是墳場。我們坐飛機去的。我們埋的是空棺材。母親們會為空棺哭泣，因為裏麵什麽都沒有。屍體留在巴赫穆特。我們是普京麾下的非法殺手。
（圖：多年前我與Alla在科斯季安蒂尼夫卡一個士兵自發建立的紀念處合影，紀念處用以向那些為保衛巴赫穆特而犧牲的人致敬版權所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
阿列克謝薩維切夫，1974年9月30日生，服刑30年。那時按日子算，本應在12月25日服滿刑期，但在其中一段發布的視頻中，他報告稱在當月1日接受了普裏戈津提供的工作：
他們在找會殺人的人。我會幹這個。我需要改變我的人生。新兵一到，他們就會麵對叛徒和逃兵，這些人隨後被處死，讓其他人明白這裏不是鬧著玩的。任何人若拒絕服從第一個命令，就會被反綁，頭綁到蛋蛋上，以便他們的屁股一試圖動就會被燒。他們就這樣被交給了FSB特工。
我想象得到。我看過那段斬首烏克蘭囚犯的視頻。奧謝奇金說。
你在那個視頻裏看到的根本算不了什麽。胡扯罷了，我告訴你。是的，這很殘忍。但我們去索列達爾和巴赫穆特時所做的才是真正的一場表演。
當奧謝奇金問他是否親眼看到俄羅斯人在他眼前被殺時，薩維切夫回答：大約七十個。
你記得那些人的身份證嗎？奧謝奇金問。
Kostolom。塞爾維亞人。聯邦的。Lob。Livovich。Rasumnej。後一個叫阿列克謝維克托羅維奇（名單中出現的男孩名，編者注），在索列達爾完成一些行動後因喝醉被殺。瓦格納人還有一個過濾營，雇傭軍在遣返前必須通過：當局會給他們做X光檢查，以確保他們沒有藏USB盤或其他可能用於記錄的東西。回到俄羅斯後，我們被禁止與任何記者交談。誰說話誰就被消滅。
薩維切夫多次強調這個詞，並逐字拚出：
C-a-n-c-e-l-e-d（被消滅）。他們常用這個表達讓我們明白我們會死。有一天，指揮官吉爾伽美什給我下令。我做不到。我得去一個坑邊。那坑大約一米二寬，深兩米，長八米，就在巴赫穆特罐蓋廠旁的營房旁邊。我不能確切說那個溝裏有多少人。大概有六十左右。我沒聽到求救聲，但夠冷，可以看見他們在溝裏呼出的氣。看到製服上纏著紅白緞帶，我告訴指揮官裏麵也有我們的人。他說他們不再是我們的人了。那是1月19或20日。我拿到一罐汽油和大約三十枚手榴彈，命令是把它們對著那些人引爆然後燒掉他們的屍體。我像扔蘋果一樣把那些炸彈扔進溝裏。扔手榴彈沒什麽危險：爆炸前你有3秒鍾時間。
在這三十次投擲之後，你確定沒有人活著嗎？奧謝奇金問。
我不知道；我甚至不在乎去檢查，因為我已經接到下一個命令。
用來燒他們的汽油是哪來的？奧謝奇金追問。
我向你保證那裏不缺汽油。俄羅斯產油很多。
用了多少罐？奧謝奇金又問。
我再說一遍，一罐就夠。相信我，當爐子裏有很多鐵時，不需要很多燃料。2月8或9日，我們本來要和烏克蘭人交換俘虜。那是淩晨兩點。有兩輛滿載人的大巴。我不記得確切是79還是89人。事情談妥、記者離開後，命令下來了，要殺死所有15歲以上的烏克蘭平民。許多人從避難所出來觀看交換。
那你認為你殺了多少無辜的烏克蘭平民？奧謝奇金問。
我怎麽能叫他們無辜，烏克蘭人？15歲起的烏克蘭人就不無辜了。
但你殺了多少未成年人？奧謝奇金追問。
大概23到24個。大約十個是兒童。
他們從避難所出來時是手無寸鐵的嗎？維權人士繼續問。
當然，他們是手無寸鐵的；甚至沒有穿製服。出來時高舉雙手，我看到有人襯衫下麵有紋身。
紋身就危險到要殺人？奧謝奇金問。
是的，你知道，我們更容易因為紋身而殺人。然後命令是清理一所房子。
裏麵是誰？奧謝奇金問。
我又知道什麽？命令是清理。命令要服從，不可質疑。
清理是什麽意思？奧謝奇金追問。
就是把所有人抹掉，當然是殺光。你可以批評我，但我隻是靠服從命令為生。命令是殺人以免被殺。懂我嗎，他們像虱子一樣把我們撿起來。虱子沒有道德。有東西就殺。
（插圖由iStories提供）
我已決定逐步把如此文般多前發布的文章從付費牆後解封，以證明其內容的準確性與嚴重的相關性。
用以下朋友鏈接分享它們：https://medium.com/@giorgioprovinciali/i-killed-a-child-i-blew-up-others-while-they-were-alive-05310a9b6284?sk=219f8c294065d43b0e5883b34f8b8ad9
（圖：三年前我在前往烏克蘭巴赫穆特途中報道??版權所有，Giorgio Provinciali
***
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