Ukraine war: Wagner chief Prigozhin defends brutal killing video

The caput of backstage Russian subject radical Wagner has defended a brutal video seemingly showing the decease of a mercenary who defected to Ukraine.

Putin state Yevgeny Prigozhin said unverified footage of Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, being struck with a sledgehammer was "a dog's decease for a dog".

The convicted murderer announced successful September helium had changed sides.

He was being held arsenic a captive of warfare by Ukraine - but it is not wide however helium ended up successful the caller video.

He said helium was recruited personally by Mr Prigozhin but went into the struggle successful Ukraine with the volition of giving himself up.

Warning: This nonfiction contains distressing details

The footage of the summary sidesplitting was posted implicit the play connected the Wagner-affiliated Telegram transmission Grey Zone.

It begins with Nuzhin describing however helium went to the beforehand arsenic a subordinate of Wagner, aft being recruited successful August. He said helium intended to alteration sides and "fight against the Russians".

After being captured by the Ukrainians, helium says helium was deed implicit the caput portion connected the thoroughfare successful Kyiv connected 11 November - it's not wide wherefore oregon however helium was escaped to locomotion astir Kyiv.

After being attacked, mislaid consciousness and woke up successful the cellar wherever the movie was being made.

After that an unidentified antheral appears to onslaught Nuzhin with a sledgehammer. He falls to the crushed and is further beaten to death.

Mr Prigozhin said successful a connection that "Nuzhin betrayed his people, betrayed his comrades".

He sarcastically described the video arsenic "excellent directorial enactment that's watchable successful 1 sitting".

"I deliberation this movie is called 'A Dog's Death for a Dog'," helium added.

Meanwhile the Kremlin has tried to region itself from the video, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying "it was not our business".

Mr Prigozhin is simply a erstwhile restaurateur and adjacent subordinate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He acceptable up the Wagner group, a mercenary recruiting company, successful 2014 - but lone publically acknowledged this information successful September.

The radical archetypal emerged successful eastbound Ukraine successful 2014, astatine the commencement of the struggle betwixt Ukrainian forces and Russian proxies successful the Donbas, and has since been progressive successful warring successful Syria and respective African countries.

Since the penetration successful February, respective of its members person been accused by Ukraine of committing warfare crimes.

In September Mr Prigozhin was seen recruiting convicts for Wagner astatine a Russian prison.