leader of Russian paramilitary group Wagner strikes back after French lawmakers decide to label him a ‘terrorist’

Unsurprisingly, it is in a still particularly flowery style that Evgueni Prigojine reacted to the resolution of the National Assembly, voted unanimously on Tuesday May 9, to register the Russian paramilitary group Wagner on the list of European Union of Terrorist Organisations. On his Telegram account, in a message in Russian, also translated into French, the leader of the Wagner group claims that when his mercenaries arrived in the Central African Republic, French soldiers were raping 12-year-old girls.

>> War in Ukraine: what can the Russian paramilitary group Wagner fear after the vote of French deputies calling it a “terrorist”?

Evgueni Prigojine also accuses the French army of having engaged in organ trafficking and of having gutted people in public squares. These accusations were immediately relayed by a galaxy of pro-Wagner social media accounts.

Wagner mercenaries accused of kidnappings

Yevgeny Prigozhin asserts that the Wagner group “save people by taking them out of the hands of the French and the Americans”. Wagner’s chief is no doubt referring to accusations of rape of minors by French soldiers in the Central African Republic. The investigation had led to a dismissal, but left unclear gray areas.

UN experts have nevertheless established that since their arrival, Wagner’s soldiers have committed serious violations of human rights and international law in Mali and the Central African Republic, including acts of torture. In the Central African Republic, in recent days, mercenaries have been accused of committing kidnappings for racketeering purposes.

In parallel, Yevgeni Prigojine on Tuesday reproached soldiers of the Russian regular army for having fled their positions in Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine. He also accused the state of being unable to defend Russia.