The Russian mercenary group Wagner released a video allegedly showing the brutal killing of one of their soldiers who allegedly defected to the Ukrainian side.
In a video posted on the Wagner-affiliated Gray Zone Telegram channel, a man can be seen introducing himself and giving recruitment information, and then the man hits him with a sledgehammer in the basement.
Wagner announced three months ago a similar shot of a deserter being executed with a hammer.
Thousands of Wagner's soldiers are taking part in the heavy fighting in Ukraine.
The group, which calls itself a private military company, began operating in Crimea in 2014.
Since then, they have had operations in Syria, other parts of Ukraine, and across Africa, and have been accused of brutality and war crimes.
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Warning: Descriptions contain disturbing details
In the accompanying text on the Gray Zone channel, it is stated that the alleged "traitor" is Dmitry Yakushchenko, born in Crimea, 44 years old, who defected to the Ukrainian side four days after becoming a Wagner fighter.
The first part of the video shows him during his stay in Ukrainian custody - the BBC found that the video came from the Ukrainian channel Espresso TV.
In it, Yakushchenko points out that Ukraine could regain control over Crimea in the next few years.
According to the text, he had previously been arrested for murder and was given a chance to be released from prison if he agreed to fight for Wagner. It is known that Wagner recruited people from Russian prisons.
Then there is a cut and the next shot is of Yakushchenko sitting in the basement with his head stuck to construction debris against a stone wall.
Another man stands behind him and holds a hammer. Along with it is written "trial for treason".
Seconds before the murder, Yakushchenko - apparently recounting how he was captured after defecting - describes how attackers hit him in the head in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
He lost consciousness and later woke up in the basement, adding "where they told me they were going to judge me."
After the first punch, the video goes blurry and Yakushchenko falls backwards. The blows of the hammer are repeated, and then the sign "Court adjourned" appears.
The post in the Gray Zone also contains a sarcastic comment about Yakushchenko's death, alluding to Wagner's November "execution" of Yevgeny Nuzhin, also a former prisoner.
"Like his colleague Yevgeny Nuzhin before, he contracted the same disease that causes you to pass out in Ukrainian cities, previously in Kiev, now in Dnipro, and then wake up in the basement at the last court session," the post said.
There was no mention in the text or the recording of where and when the video was taken.
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The shadowy mercenary group has been in the public eye more often since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine a year ago - even opening a large headquarters in St. Petersburg.
Wagner's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has long-standing ties to the Kremlin: he was nicknamed "Putin's Chef" for providing catering services to the Russian elite and the armed forces.
He credited Wagner for the offensive on Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, while downplaying the role of the Russian military.
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