Mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group have captured a lieutenant colonel from Vladimir Putin’s regular forces in the latest example of bitter power struggle in Russian ranks.
The captured colonel was seen hanging his head in a humiliating video published by Wagner in which he confessed his “guilt” and admitted to being drunk on duty after allegedly firing at a Wagner vehicle.
This follows allegations from Wagner that the regular Russian army had been aiming mines at their ranks, as a clip released by the group showed their sappers disposing of a road’s explosives.
Wagner mercenaries have fought for Putin in Ukraine and are said to have taken the embattled city of Bakhmut from Ukrainian forces after months of bloody warfare.
But Wagner’s success has seemingly angered mainstream Russian army commanders and poisoned relations between them.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has launched several verbal tirades against Putin’s army leaders, whom he accused of ordering their troops to withdraw from their positions and leaving Wagner fighters unprotected at the front.
Founder of the private mercenary group Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin (right) speaks with military personnel as his troops withdraw from Bakhmut and hand over their positions to regular Russian troops
Mercenaries from Wagner’s private army film themselves demining mines on a road they claim was mined by regular Russian troops on Wagner’s way back from the front
The Wagner group fights in Ukraine on behalf of Vladimir Putin (pictured), but the regular Russian army and the mercenaries share a mutual hatred for each other
The captured lieutenant colonel identified himself as Roman Venevitin, commander of the 72nd Russian Brigade.
Venevitin, who appeared to have a broken or injured nose, confessed that he “opened fire on a Wagner PMC [private military company] vehicle under the influence of alcohol’.
He did this out of “personal animosity,” he claimed.
The shooting damaged a Ural supply truck but did not injure any Wagner soldiers, according to the private army led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Venevitin also confessed to leading a group of 10 to 12 Russian army soldiers who “disarmed” a rapid reaction group run by Wagner.
“Does personal hostility have any place in war at all?” an angry Wagner commander barked at Venevitin.
“No…” the captured colonel replied sheepishly.
Wagner has a reputation for beating his own ‘traitors’ to death with a sledgehammer – but there is no suggestion that the Russian colonel will receive the same treatment.
A summary execution of a high-ranking Russian commander by Wagner forces would cause unprecedented chaos in the ranks of Moscow.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has launched several verbal tirades against Putin’s army chiefs, whom he accused of ordering their troops to withdraw from their positions
Ukrainian artillery batteries firing on the Bahkmut frontline in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on May 28, 2023
A Ukrainian soldier fires a mortar at Russian positions on the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 28, 2023
Colonel Venevitin’s capture came just hours after Wagner’s mercenaries were forced to clear a road lined with mines that they believed had been laid by their compatriots from the regular army corps.
Prigozhin said the regular army laid hundreds of mines to ensnare Wagner’s forces as they retreated from Bakhmut after winning a rare victory for Putin in the war.
“Shortly before our departure, we noticed suspicious activity along our route.
‘[Following] After this suspicious activity, we contacted the police and began to study our exit routes along the roads.
‘We discovered a dozen places where various explosives were lying, ranging from hundreds of anti-tank mines to tons [charges] of Zmey Gorynych self-propelled missiles,” Prigozhin said.
“Those who planted these allegations were representatives of the Department of Defense… These [explosive] charges did not need to be stacked to stop the enemy as they are in the rear area.
‘It can be assumed that they wanted to meet the advancing units of the Wagner PMC [Private Military Company] with these accusations, even though we are not marching in columns,” he concluded.
These cases point to a clear rift within the Kremlin forces fighting Ukraine, though some analysts see all-out civil war in Russia as a legitimate possibility if Putin loses the war.
Despite massive casualties and a ban on recruiting prisoners from Russia’s penal colonies, Prigozhin is said to still have up to 60,000 men at his disposal.
But Wagner is just one of many private armies in Russia.
Chechen warlord leader Ramzan Kadyrov himself controls a heavily armed group, and even Russian energy giant Gazprom has set up its own private military company.