A Russian commander was tortured after being captured by the Wagner Group

Infight among Russia’s military elite has been one of the most interesting revelations of the war in Ukraine. But conflict among leaders of the Russian Armed Forces and the Wagner Group looks like it's finally trickled down to the soldiers of each fighting force. 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shiogu and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin have had several public spats over ammunition shortages and casualties rates, with the chief of Wagner accusing Shoigu of treason for not providing him with proper supplies. 

However, this very public infighting now seems to have trickled down to the soldiers of each group, and a bizarre story of mined withdrawal routes and targeted Wagner men has revealed just how bad the situation has gotten between the two military factions. 

On June 2nd, Prigozhin accused the defense ministry of littering an area his forces were set to withdraw through with explosives, including hundreds of anti-tank mines--claiming officials on the scene said orders to lay the mines came from superiors according to Reuters.

"It was not necessary to plant these charges in order to deter the enemy, as it is in the rear area,” Prigozhin said. We can assume that these charges were intended to meet the advancing units of Wagner… "We assume this was an attempt at a public flogging."

Two days after Prigozhin’s statement, the Wagner chief’s press service released a video revealing that his mercenaries had detained the commander of Russia’s 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Roman Venevitin for ordering troops to fire at Wagner. 

Photo credit: by Telegram @concordgroup_official

In the video, Venevitin said that he had disarmed a group of Wagner fighters with 10 to 12 of his subordinates and that he had ordered his men to open fire on the mercenary group while he was intoxicated because of “bad blood” according to a Newsweek report. 

Photo credit: by Telegram @concordgroup_official

When asked if his feelings had a place in the war by his interrogator, Venevitin answered: “No.” It should be noted that the Russian commander had a visible nose injury and later claimed that he, along with other men captured at a different time, had been tortured while in Wagner's custody. 

Photo credit: by Telegram @concordgroup_official

Venevitin was asked how his actions could be characterized and he replied by simply saying: “Guilty.” But it wouldn’t take long for the lieutenant colonel to put out his own about the incident, one in which he recanted what he said and explained the situation. 

Venevitin’s side of the story has him doing rounds, checking on his units when he was stopped by Wagner forces according to an explanation of the video by independent Russian news organization Meduza and captured after an “obscene confrontation.” 

The lieutenant colonel said he was kept in a basement and tormented as “no embittered Russian soldier would ever torment a captive Ukrainian soldier,” adding he was beaten, not allowed to sleep, and was dragged outside several times and threatened to be shot. 

Venevitin also explained the growing tension between his soldiers and Wagner's forces, relaying a number of concerning encounters where his men were forced to sign Wagner contracts and even cases where his troops were tortured by the mercenary group. 

“Our servicemen have been abducted and subjected to physical violence and methods of demeaning their honor and dignity,” the Venevitin explained according to a translation from Meduza. “For example, a petty officer of one of our battalions was abducted.”

“They tortured him, kept him naked on a cold basement floor, [and] sprayed acid and other chemicals into his eyes, which led to a temporary loss of vision. They poured gasoline over him and threatened him with a lighter,” the Russian commander added.

Venevitin also talked about a particularly troubling case of a soldier who took his own life in the spring after he was sexually assaulted by Wagner fighters, a situation which seems like it could be extremely concerning for Russian leaders if it proves to be true.

Allegations that the 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade was responsible for mining the rear of Wagner positions were also denied by Venevitin, who accused Prigozhin’s mercenaries of “political spin,” adding that he couldn’t have taken Bakhmut without the Russian army. 

On June 11th, Prigozhin stated he would not sign any contract with Russia’s Ministry of Defense after it ordered all volunteer detachments to do so before the end of the month according to Reuters. “Wagner will not sign any contracts with Shoigu," Prigozhin said.