Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
ABUJA, Nigeria—Survivors of an armed raid say mercenaries from Putin’s private army sexually assaulted a dozen women and girls—at least one as young as 15— and humiliated them by using smart phones to film their naked bodies after the attack.
The soldiers from the Wagner Group are supposed to be in Mali in an advisory role but evidence continues to emerge of human rights abuses and massacres linked to the paramilitaries employed by President Putin’s close ally, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is also playing a key role in the invasion of Ukraine.
One of the victims told The Daily Beast that a Russian paramilitary hit her on the head using a gun after she refused to undress, causing her to pass out. When she regained consciousness, she found herself lying naked on the ground beside about five other women who were also undressed.