Photo: A frame from the video
The press service of the company “Concord” published a comment by Yevgeny Prigozhin, in which he confirmed the authenticity of the video of his meeting with former prisoners who lost limbs in the special operation zone. In that video, Prigozhin promised the interlocutors prosthetics operations, and they stated that after treatment they wanted to return to the Wagner PMCs. RTVI sent “Concord” a request about the authenticity of the video, as well as about who will pay for the treatment of former prisoners.
In his response, Prigozhin confirmed that the video was genuine and that he had indeed communicated with “combat veterans who defended the honor of Russian weapons in the Donbas.” He stated that these people “went there voluntarily, participated in the fiercest battles” and “they are one of the best in hell.” Prigozhin added that these people do not want to continue working for money or liberation – “they are already free”, and out of “a sense of duty, a desire not to shame their fathers and grandfathers”.
Prigozhin reminded critics of his previous postulate: “Either they or your children.” And in a rough form criticized the discontented for an idle lifestyle “in the world of Rublev’s dreams” and “on sofas”.
Prigozhin also stated that “I pay for all this out of my pocket, and so for almost 10 years” and demanded that his fighters not be called “ex-cons”, but “defenders of the reputation of Russia and your cowardly worthless soul”.