Russia Pardons 5,000 Criminals for Fighting in Ukraine with Wagner Group

Over 5,000 former convicts have been pardoned by Russia after serving in the Wagner mercenary group against Ukraine, according to the group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Wagner, originally staffed by Russian armed forces veterans, recruited thousands of men from prisons to fight in some of the most dangerous battles in Ukraine. Prigozhin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said just 0.31% of those pardoned after Wagner service had gone on to commit crime, a figure he said was 10-20 times less than the standard indicators. The United States has sanctioned Prigozhin for attempts to interfere in U.S. elections and for spreading Russian disinformation across the globe.