Satellite photos and video give rare insight into scale of losses by Russian paramilitary group
The number of graves at the private military company Wagner cemetery in the village of Bakinskaya in the Krasnodar region in recent months has increased sevenfold, The New York Times writes, based on analysis of video and satellite photos.
According to this material, there are currently 170 graves in the cemetery and the burial ground also has a wall of urns for the Wagner fighters who have been cremated.
🪦 A cemetery used by the Wagner group for the burial of killed mercenaries in the village of Bakunsk, Krasnodar Krai, has increased 7 times over the past few months – @nytimes #RussianUkrainianWar #RussianArmy pic.twitter.com/lbaadJXeoK
— UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) January 25, 2023
According to the information of Ria Novosti at the end of December 2022 in the cemetery there were more than 90 graves.
A cemetery used by the notorious Russian mercenary group Wagner has grown rapidly in size over the past several months, satellite imagery and video footage shows. It is rare visual evidence of the toll Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is taking on Wagner. https://t.co/maP90PNNED
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 25, 2023
The urns were spotted thanks to a video showing Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin laying flowers on one of the cemetery’s graves. At the same time, the journalists measured 21 walls with 42 sockets on each wall. “It is not clear whether all these fighters were killed in Ukraine or in other locations, but this footage gives a rare insight into the scale of Wagner’s losses,” the newspaper wrote.
Journalists also tried to investigate the personalities of the mercenaries buried in the cemetery. At least 16 people, whose names and dates of birth are inscribed on the crosses, had been convicted of various crimes. They also assume that many of them were recently killed near Bahamut and Soledar.
In early January, the existence of the cemetery for Wagner fighters was confirmed by its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. A video with relevant statements was published by the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti.
In the #Kuban village of Bakinskaya, located near the village of Molino (where the base of the #Wagner PMC is), a huge cemetery with fresh graves was discovered.#Prigozhin confirmed that his mercenaries are buried there. pic.twitter.com/P3mnotbHFQ
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 22, 2022
Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed that his own mercenaries are buried in the cemetery in question. “Yes this lot has been set aside for the burial of Wagner fighters.”
“Here are the graves of those who, for various reasons, wrote in their application that in the event of their death they wish to be buried next to the Wagner church in the location of Goriatsiy Kluits,” says Prigozhin’s channel “Kepka Prigozina” on the Telegram messaging application.
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