Captured Wagner fighter says prisoners in Mali were mutilated to train mercenaries in battlefield medicine

A Russian mercenary from the private military company Wagner, now held in Ukrainian captivity, has given testimony describing what he says was a brutal training regime carried out by the group in Mali.

According to the fighter's account, local prisoners in Mali were deliberately injured so that new Wagner recruits could practice battlefield medical skills, including treating wounds and stabilizing casualties under conditions meant to simulate real combat.

The same prisoners, the fighter said, were also used to teach recruits killing techniques as part of the training process. Once the exercises were completed, the prisoners were killed.

Background

Wagner has operated in several African countries for years, including Mali, where it has supported local armed forces in operations against insurgents. The group has repeatedly faced allegations of human rights abuses across the region.

The testimony comes from a mercenary captured on the battlefield in Ukraine who is now in Ukrainian custody. The source report does not cite independent confirmation of the claims, but they add to a growing body of accounts about the methods allegedly used to prepare Wagner fighters for operations beyond Ukraine.