Former Wagner PMC Fighters Arrested in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani special services have detained two mercenaries from the Russian PMC Wagner, charging them with committing crimes abroad.

The Azerbaijani media Oxu.Az reported on this.

The Sabail District Court in Baku ordered a four-month detention for citizens Ramil Aliyev and Ismail Hasanov in a criminal case being investigated by the Azerbaijani State Security Service. They are accused of committing crimes both abroad and on Azerbaijani territory.

It has been established that Yevgeny Prigozhin recruited the detainees into the Wagner PMC from Russian penal colonies, where they were serving sentences for intentional murder and other serious crimes. They were released from their sentences and, in exchange for an agreed payment, were involved in various military operations.

The accused took part in combat missions in several countries, employing firearms and explosives. Moreover, they were involved in recruiting Azerbaijani citizens to participate in similar activities abroad. The Russian group launched the recruitment of mercenaries from penal colonies, known as Project-K, in the summer of 2022 to support the war against Ukraine. Former prisoners played a significant role in the battles for Bakhmut and Soledar, territories now under Russian occupation.

This marks the first time a post-Soviet country has prosecuted its citizens for joining Wagner, reflecting a continuation of Azerbaijan’s firm stance towards Russia. Earlier, the country also detained employees of the Russian news agency Sputnik Azerbaijan, accusing them of working for the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.

During his speech at the third Global Media Forum held on July 20, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev openly expressed support for Ukraine’s struggle against Russian occupation, urging to “never give up and never accept violations of territorial integrity.”

Additionally, he announced that Azerbaijan is preparing documents to submit to the international court regarding the crash of an AzAL plane in Kazakhstan, which likely took place due to a strike by Russian air defenses over Grozny.

Arrest of Russian Mercenaries

Earlier this year, law enforcement agencies in Ukraine and Moldova held a joint special operation called Avenger, during which Wagner PMC mercenaries were detained in Moldova.

It was reported that between 2014 and 2023, three detained Moldovan citizens participated in the battle for Donetsk airport, the capture of Bakhmut, and the creation of the Debaltseve cauldron as part of Wagner PMC, the Somalia battalion, and other armed formations of the so-called “DPR” and Russia.

In July, a former Wagner mercenary was detained in Finland after illegally crossing the border and seeking asylum. Border guards detected the man thanks to sensor alerts and arrested him immediately after he crossed the border.