CNN
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Russia has pardoned Zambian prisoners so they can be sent to Ukraine where they died fighting for the Wagner mercenary unit, Zambia’s foreign minister said on Friday.
Zambian citizen Nathan Lemehani Nielenda “was pardoned on 23 August 2022 for participating in a military operation in exchange for an amnesty,” Minister Stanley Kakubo said in Lusaka, adding that the information was leaked to Russia. It was provided to him by Foreign Minister Sergey, he added. Lavrov.
But Lavrov also appears to have given the first indication that the Russian government is sanctioning the recruitment of prisoners from Russian prisons for war in Ukraine. I was informed that they allow prisoners the opportunity to be pardoned in exchange for participating in military operations.”
CNN has reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
Kakubo told the Zambian parliament that Nielenda’s body would be transferred to Moscow on Friday and returned to Zambia on Sunday.
During the summer, Wagner’s treasurer, Evgeny Prigogine, toured Russian prisons looking for prisoners to participate in the war in Ukraine. In exchange, they are given a pardon for Tour’s survival, or an amount to be paid to their families upon death.
He was caught on video speaking to potential recruits in multiple Russian prisons. did.
Speaking about the Nyirenda incident in November, Prigozin said he remembered the prisoners and died as “heroes.”
