«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 Prigozhin’s control. It serves as a powerful reminder of the human toll of these events in Ukraine.
It is clear – indeed, quite obvious – that the 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 Kremlin’s strategic goals.
Recently, reports have surfaced about two former inmates, Azamat Uldarov and Aleksey Savichev, who were pardoned by Putin and later got involved with the Wagner Group’s 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 group’s 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 Wagner’s operations, Uldarov’s status changed dramatically when he received a pardon from Vladimir Putin. This official pardon was granted by a decree issued on February 9, 2022, marking a significant turning point in his life.
Further evidence backing Uldarov’s 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 prison’s 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 couldn’t 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 didn’t 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, I’m 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 doesn’t 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 the “thumb up-thumb down” gesture, explaining that this is how Wagnerites used to do: «I pay you to kill. We are killers for hire. This is ours if there’s a rank for everyone in the army. Let’s start from the top. Above me was “Korsha,” then “Kite.” Then “Iceman,” who is “Stalin.” Still above is Prigozhin. He gave the order. We shouldn’t 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 there’s nothing in there. The bodies remained in Bakhmut. We are illegal killers in Putin’s 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 there’s 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, I’ll tell you this. Yes, it’s 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 boy’s 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 it’s certain that they don’t 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 can’t say exactly how many people were in that ditch. More or less, I would say around sixty. I didn’t 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. There’s 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 don’t know; I didn’t 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 there’s 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 don’t 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 don’t 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, 23–24. About ten were children».
«Did they leave the shelters unarmed?» — continues the activist.
«Of course, they were unarmed; they didn’t 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 Osechkin’s 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 doesn’t have morals. If there’s something to kill, he kills».
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《我杀了一个孩子。我在其他人还活着的时候把他们炸死了》
作者：Giorgio Provinciali
翻译：旺财球球
乌克兰现场报道
瓦格纳集团——普京释放并承诺让他们去杀人的人，在乌克兰所做的（并以不同名义仍在做的）事情。
（照片插图：iStories）
下面是我与Alla Perdei几年前合作翻译并仍在意大利流传的译文。内容包括一名前瓦格纳集团成员向奥谢奇金作出的极其令人不安的忏悔。这名成员向我们展示了与所谓“私人军事公司”有关的雇佣军所实施的行为，该公司曾由叶夫根尼·普里戈津控制。此文强烈提醒人们这些事件在乌克兰造成的沉重人类代价。
很明显，事实上无需多言，瓦格纳集团及其正式解散后的延续结构，是直接接受弗拉基米尔·普京控制的一把强大而致命的工具，并得到俄罗斯国防部的大量资助。
这家私人军事公司在多场冲突中起到了关键作用，它们不受约束的行动，常常执行支持克里姆林宫战略目标的任务。
最近有报道披露，两名前囚犯阿扎马特·乌尔达罗夫和阿列克谢·萨维切夫，获普京赦免，随后加入瓦格纳行动的。这两人最初对他们的经历作了公开忏悔，人权活动家弗拉基米尔·奥谢奇金在揭露该组织阴暗面方面发挥了重要作用。然而，由于面临针对他们供认的“警戒性惩罚”的威胁，乌尔达罗夫和萨维切夫被迫收回了他们的陈述。
（图：左起：阿扎马特·乌尔达罗夫、阿列克谢·萨维切夫。访谈截图）
为核实这两名前瓦格纳成员的身份，奥谢奇金公开了他们的个人证件并提供了详列其在乌克兰服役期间参战情况及获所谓“荣誉”而颁奖的证明。此证据还得到一份包含瓦格纳雇佣的数百名前囚犯名单的证实。许多人被以减轻余刑甚至赦免——无论他们在入伍前犯下何种严重罪行，的承诺诱骗。此类手法凸显了瓦格纳集团及俄罗斯政府在招兵工作中采取的道德模糊做法。
（图片来自“The Quint World”）
阿扎马特·乌尔达罗夫，1981年12月7日生，叙述了他如何被臭名昭著的瓦格纳私人军事公司招募的经过。他声称叶夫根尼·普里戈津在他被关押于萨拉托夫地区的IK-13联邦惩教局管理监狱时找到他。据乌尔达罗夫称，他的命运在被送往克拉斯诺亚尔斯克边疆区营地、具体为与瓦格纳相关的51–532基地接受军事训练后发生了重大转折。
作为瓦格纳行动的一部分，在乌克兰服役六个月后，乌尔达罗夫的身份发生了巨大变化：他得到了弗拉基米尔·普京的赦免。该赦免由2022年2月9日颁布的法令授予，标志着他人生的一个重要转折点。
联邦档案资料进一步证实了乌尔达罗夫的说法。正如谢尔盖·萨维廖夫所披露，也证实了他的身份并提供了更多背景。值得注意的是，一段令人不安的视频片段（后从监狱监控系统中删除）显示乌尔达罗夫在2020年被关押期间遭受酷刑和残暴对待。这一骇人听闻的事件凸显了像乌尔达罗夫这样的人在现代战争和俄罗斯监狱体系中所面临的复杂且经常的暴力的现实。
（图片来源：“Getty Images”）
下面摘录自大量音频和视频材料中的一段：
“这只夹着香烟的手杀过孩子。杀人的命令一下达，我就照做了。巴赫穆特和索列达尔是一出淫秽的表演。我们一组刚开始是150人。现在只剩下我们18个人。我们知道在占领巴赫穆特之前，不能回家。命令是杀光所有人：男人、女人、孩子、退休老人。杀光任何人，不惜一切代价死守阵地。你知道我这双手做了什么吗？你明白吗？我还能怎么办？有一天我进了一个地窖。里面全是孩子。命令是不让一个人逃走。我和我的小组把他们全都杀了。300到400人，其中大约有40个孩子。”
“一个巨大的地窖！”——奥谢奇金打断他。
“那是九层楼的地下室。我们把地雷布满到第二层，以确保斩草除根。命令是连根铲除每一个（乌克兰）人，让什么都无法再生长。指挥官通过视频通话给我下达命令后，要我重复我应该执行的命令。我重复到，我要把所有人都消灭，这样就没东西再长回来。”
“你真的这么做了？”奥谢奇金问。
“当然。我确保他们全部死了。普里戈津本人曾要求我不要抓俘虏。我就没有留任何活口。”
“是什么时候发生的？”奥谢奇金问。
“3月18日。我们靠近巴赫穆特中心时，把他们全都杀了，那些混蛋。我们揍了他们，那些娘们儿。是的，我有点抱歉，因为其中包括些孩子。”
“你现在在萨拉托夫，你家里吗？”奥谢奇金问。
“是的，但我想以士兵身份回去，不想做一个雇佣的杀手。我希望我的国防部长允许我正式完成我开始的事。我已经把手指放在扳机上了。血腥气味吓不到我。”
“你知道伊夫根尼·努任吗？”奥谢奇金继续问。
“知道，就是那个试图逃跑的人。他们把他带到地窖，告诉他在他们要录的视频里该说什么，然后用锤子把他的头砸开。我们还在被命令杀乌克兰俘虏时拍了视频。”
“你们怎么杀的？开枪吗？”奥谢奇金问。
“想听实话的话，是用刀。我们一边杀一边录像。一个小女孩哭喊着，尖叫着。她很害怕。她大概五六岁。我把枪对着她的头开了枪。”
（图片来自“Detector Media”）
乌尔达罗夫从握紧的拳头中伸出拇指和小指，模仿瓦格纳人常做的“竖拇指-下拇指”手势，解释这是他们的习惯做法：“我付钱给你杀人。我们是受雇的杀手。如果军队里有等级，那执行命令就是我们的职责。先从上面说。我的上面是‘Korsha’，然后是‘Kite’。然后是‘Iceman’，就是‘斯大林’。更上面的是普里戈津。他下的令。那天我们不该放任何人走。没人就是没人。我们2号到，24号走。我们很多人都死了。太多了。我的面前是堆成山的尸体。我埋了14个人。” “在什么坟场？”奥谢奇金问。
“我们在罗斯托夫地区，但那不是坟场。我们坐飞机去的。我们埋的是空棺材。母亲们会为空棺哭泣，因为里面什么都没有。尸体留在巴赫穆特。我们是普京麾下的非法杀手。”
（图：多年前我与Alla在科斯季安蒂尼夫卡一个士兵自发建立的纪念处合影，纪念处用以向那些为保卫巴赫穆特而犧牲的人致敬——版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali）
阿列克谢·萨维切夫，1974年9月30日生，服刑30年。那时按日子算，本应在12月25日服满刑期，但在其中一段发布的视频中，他报告称在当月1日接受了普里戈津提供的工作：
“他们在找会杀人的人。我会干这个。我需要改变我的人生。新兵一到，他们就会面对叛徒和逃兵，这些人随后被处死，让其他人明白这里不是闹着玩的。任何人若拒绝服从第一个命令，就会被反绑，头绑到蛋蛋上，以便他们的屁股一试图动就会被烧。他们就这样被交给了FSB特工。”
“我想象得到。我看过那段斩首乌克兰囚犯的视频。”奥谢奇金说。
“你在那个视频里看到的根本算不了什么。胡扯罢了，我告诉你。是的，这很残忍。但我们去索列达尔和巴赫穆特时所做的才是真正的一场表演。”
当奥谢奇金问他是否亲眼看到俄罗斯人在他眼前被杀时，萨维切夫回答：“大约七十个。”
“你记得那些人的身份证吗？”奥谢奇金问。
“Kostolom。塞尔维亚人。联邦的。Lob。Livovich。Rasumnej。后一个叫阿列克谢·维克托罗维奇（名单中出现的男孩名，编者注），在索列达尔完成一些行动后因喝醉被杀。瓦格纳人还有一个过滤营，雇佣军在遣返前必须通过：当局会给他们做X光检查，以确保他们没有藏USB盘或其他可能用于记录的东西。回到俄罗斯后，我们被禁止与任何记者交谈。谁说话谁就被消灭。”
萨维切夫多次强调这个词，并逐字拼出：
“C-a-n-c-e-l-e-d（被消灭）。他们常用这个表达让我们明白我们会死。有一天，指挥官吉尔伽美什给我下令。我做不到。我得去一个坑边。那坑大约一米二宽，深两米，长八米，就在巴赫穆特罐盖厂旁的营房旁边。我不能确切说那个沟里有多少人。大概有六十左右。我没听到求救声，但够冷，可以看见他们在沟里呼出的气。看到制服上缠着红白缎带，我告诉指挥官里面也有我们的人。他说他们不再是我们的人了。那是1月19或20日。我拿到一罐汽油和大约三十枚手榴弹，命令是把它们对着那些人引爆然后烧掉他们的尸体。我像扔苹果一样把那些炸弹扔进沟里。扔手榴弹没什么危险：爆炸前你有3秒钟时间。”
“在这三十次投掷之后，你确定没有人活着吗？”奥谢奇金问。
“我不知道；我甚至不在乎去检查，因为我已经接到下一个命令。”
“用来烧他们的汽油是哪来的？”奥谢奇金追问。
“我向你保证那里不缺汽油。俄罗斯产油很多。”
“用了多少罐？”奥谢奇金又问。
“我再说一遍，一罐就够。相信我，当炉子里有很多铁时，不需要很多燃料。2月8或9日，我们本来要和乌克兰人交换俘虏。那是凌晨两点。有两辆满载人的大巴。我不记得确切是79还是89人。事情谈妥、记者离开后，命令下来了，要杀死所有15岁以上的乌克兰平民。许多人从避难所出来观看交换。”
“那你认为你杀了多少无辜的乌克兰平民？”奥谢奇金问。
“我怎么能叫他们无辜，乌克兰人？15岁起的乌克兰人就不无辜了。”
“但你杀了多少未成年人？”奥谢奇金追问。
“大概23到24个。大约十个是儿童。”
“他们从避难所出来时是手无寸铁的吗？”维权人士继续问。
“当然，他们是手无寸铁的；甚至没有穿制服。出来时高举双手，我看到有人衬衫下面有纹身。”
“纹身就危险到要杀人？”奥谢奇金问。
“是的，你知道，我们更容易因为纹身而杀人。然后命令是‘清理’一所房子。”
“里面是谁？”奥谢奇金问。
“我又知道什么？命令是清理。命令要服从，不可质疑。”
“‘清理’是什么意思？”奥谢奇金追问。
“就是把所有人抹掉，当然是杀光。你可以批评我，但我只是靠服从命令为生。命令是杀人以免被杀。懂我吗，他们像虱子一样把我们捡起来。虱子没有道德。有东西就杀。”
（插图由iStories提供）
我已决定逐步把如此文般多前发布的文章从付费墙后解封，以证明其内容的准确性与严重的相关性。
用以下“朋友链接”分享它们：https://medium.com/@giorgioprovinciali/i-killed-a-child-i-blew-up-others-while-they-were-alive-05310a9b6284?sk=219f8c294065d43b0e5883b34f8b8ad9
（图：三年前我在前往乌克兰巴赫穆特途中报道——版权所有，Giorgio Provinciali
***
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