Shooting Of Wagnerites In Chelyabinsk: What Is Known At The Moment?

The streets of the Russian city are patrolled by people with assault rifles.

The Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Chelyabinsk Region opened a criminal case under the article on hooliganism committed by a group of persons (Part 2 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code), after a mass brawl with a shooting that happened in Chelyabinsk. The press service of the Investigative Committee reported this on the evening of May 26. The department said that "the participants of the conflict on the basis of personal hostility opened fire from traumatic weapons on opponents, the victims needed medical care," Meduza writes.

According to media reports, the fight took place on May 25 in one of the courtyards in the Leninsky district of Chelyabinsk. Eyewitnesses filmed what was happening. Judging by the published footage, at least 15 people, presumably former mercenaries of Wagner PMCs who participated in the war in Ukraine, put several young men on the road and beat them, including with staves. Then, according to the video, a group of young men in black clothes arrived at the scene, opened fire, and the Wagnerites tried to escape.

According to 74.ru, one of the former mercenaries of the Wagner PMC, who participated in the fight, the conflict occurred due to the fact that two people fired traumatic weapons at a war veteran and his girlfriend. Baza writes that 21-year-old Artem (no surname provided) was beaten by 18-year-old Roman (his surname is also unknown) when he saw him with his ex-girlfriend, 18-year-old Angelina.

According to another version cited by 74.ru, this conflict occurred due to the fact that young people were trying to get acquainted with a girl. Baza does not say that there was a shooting in this case, but 74.ru published a photo that allegedly shows the consequences of the attack, two injuries are visible in the picture. Whether the girl was injured in this case is not known for sure, there is no photo evidence. According to Baza, Angelina sought help from her father, 42-year-old Alexander, who had previously served in the Wagner PMC, and he and his friends came to meet with Roman.

The source of 74.ru said that the participants of the conflict "came to punish", but they were not going to kill anyone. “But the vigilant relatives of these scoundrels did not call the police, but their friends. They arrived with combat weapons" the source said. According to him, the victims received gunshot and traumatic wounds (information about gunshot wounds is not confirmed by other sources).

Arriving police detained three people, including one minor, writes Baza. The source of 74.ru claims that the police detained those who stood up for a participant in the war, and later released them. The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chelyabinsk region reported that all participants in the conflict had been identified and detained. After the incident in Chelyabinsk, the working hours of the employees of the Russian Guard and the MIA were strengthened, they began to patrol the streets with assault rifles.