Graves of Wagner soldiers 'destroyed' at cemetery in Russia
By Olive Enokido-Lineham, OSINT producer
A Wagner supporter claims graves of mercenary soldiers have been "destroyed" at a cemetery in Russia.
A video circulating on Russian Telegram channels and verified by Sky News shows a supporter of the group stood at a graveyard known to be where Wagner troops had been buried and was heard saying "everything has been demolished".
"This is blasphemy. People were dying for Russia and you levelled all their graves," the man wearing a PMC Wagner Group T-shirt claimed.
The footage was filmed at the cemetery in the village of Nikolayevka, located in Russia's southwestern Samara region.
The video then pans to a pile of crosses which appear to have the date 2023 written on plaques alongside colourful wreaths.
The man adds: "Where the work is going on were graves."
He said it's "unclear what's going on, all crosses and wreaths were collected".
Wagner Group fighters have been vital to some of Moscow's successes in Ukraine, including the capture of the eastern city of Bakhmut in May following months of bloody fighting.
However, questions remain over the future of the mercenary group following the crash of a private jet linked to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on Wednesday evening. Russia's aviation authority said Prigozhin was one of 10 people on board the flight.
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Ukraine latest: Video shows graveyard for Wagner soldiers 'demolished'; officials find flight recorder at plane crash site