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Just a few months ago, ex-convicts recruited by the notorious Wagner Group were boasting about plans to take the fight to Europe. Now, it turns out, they’re working as taxi drivers.
One enterprising young ex-con has even started his own taxi business using the Wagner brand in Russia’s Novosibirsk region. Valery Bogdanov, with five convictions for robbery and theft under his belt, returned from the battlefield in Ukraine over the summer and says he is now getting glowing reviews from clients of his taxi business.
“I saw on the internet that people in the city were complaining about taxis. There are either not enough cars, or you order and then no one comes, or they refuse to drive you far. With us, everything is different, people are pleased that the car always arrives without problems. We’re slowly developing, and we will expand,” Bogdanov told local outlet VN.ru.