Russia

Secret Mass Grave of Wagner Fighters Found in Siberia

WAR DEAD

An estimated 200 graves were found, and many of the deaths were never officially confirmed by defense officials.

Graves of Russian Wagner mercenary group fighters are seen in a cemetery near the village of Bakinskaya in Krasnodar region, Russia, Jan. 22, 2023.
Reuters

A secret mass burial site for members of Russia’s notorious Wagner Group has been discovered in Siberia. An estimated 200 graves were discovered at a cemetery in Novosibirsk, according to the news outlet Tayga.info. Memorial wreaths traditionally used by Wagner were placed at most of the graves, and many of the names listed of those buried at the site were never officially confirmed as war fatalities. Some of the dead were former convicts from other regions in Russia, Tayga.info reports, citing court documents. The discovery appears to add to at least seven other sites used by Wagner to bury its dead fighters. Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin personally visited one such site earlier this month in the Krasnodar region, admitting that the number of fatalities was steadily “growing.” Many family members of the dead have complained they were never informed of the burials, and in some cases had no idea their loved ones were even involved in the war.

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