The interview was given by a former fighter of the Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization associated with the Putin regime. He says that he was invited to fight in Ukraine and explains why he did not agree.
Marat Gabidullin, 55, was a member of the Wagner Group, a private military organization made up of members of the elite intelligence services or former military personnel allegedly linked to the Kremlin.
It was created in 2007 by a former Russian army officer, a sort of private militiawhich operates in parallel with the army of Moscow.
Marat Gabidullin was a member of this groupI have been on several assignments and fought in Syriawhere in 2016 he was seriously injured in a grenade explosion.
In 2019, he left the organization, but says that a few months before the invasion of Ukraine was called up to fight as a mercenary and refused.
“Go without me. Ukraine is part of my roots. They are a sovereign state and has the right to be independent and respected “, – he said.
He also said that from the beginning knew that Russia will fail.
“They were completely taken by surprise by the resistance of the Ukrainian Army”, – he said.
About Russian soldiers largely determines the lack of preparation.
While in France, Marat published a book in which he recounts his experiences as a mercenary for the Wagner Group.
BUT Russia does not officially recognize the existence of this organization. Human rights organizations and the Ukrainian government condemn that these militants are responsible for war crimes committed in Syria, Ukraine, in 2014, and that hundreds of Wagner group mercenaries are now seeking to kill Volodymyr Zelensky.
To learn more
