Death, Incorporated
Men's Journal|August - September 2022
How Putin's mercenary army known as the Wagner Group does the Kremlin's dirtiest work in Ukraine and in conflict zones around the world.
By Samuel M. Katz
Death, Incorporated

After a week of heavy fighting against Ukrainian forces in and around Bucha, the Russian military captured the strategic town on kirts capital Kyiv on March 4, 2022. The next day, another cadre of uniformed invaders arrived, older than the typical teenage Russian conscripts, and the noncombat killings began in earnest. It was obvious to besieged locals that these were not regular soldiers. They appeared to act autonomously, and more viciously.

At first, the bloodshed was indiscriminate. A middle-aged man riding his bicycle was shot in the back for sport, a woman returning from the grocery was cut down by a burst of automatic fire. Unarmed residents were robbed at checkpoints and then murdered.

Gunfire was heard at all hours, as were the screams. Bodies were left where they fell as warnings. Soon, the carnage grew even more sadistic, and systematic. Survivors recall how these "soldiers" raided apartment blocks to round up males under 50 years of age, and then bound and executed them. Women were raped and tortured as the armed men laughed and drank. Some corpses were set on fire. Bucha residents, at great peril to themselves, dug hasty graves for other victims, their friends and neighbors, when the Russians weren't watching.

When Ukrainian forces liberated Bucha on April 1, they entered a ghost town littered with rubble and smoldering vehicles. The dead were everywhere.

Bodies were strewn for half a mile along Yablosnka Street in the southern part of town. By conservative estimates, more than 400 men, women and children had been murdered.

Denne historien er fra August - September 2022-utgaven av Men's Journal.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra August - September 2022-utgaven av Men's Journal.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MEN'S JOURNALSe alt
Fantasy League
Men's Journal

Fantasy League

Inflation, war and endless political campaign ads got you down? Hollywood wants to take you far away.

time-read
2 mins  |
August - September 2022
The Tug Trip
Men's Journal

The Tug Trip

Chasing grizzlies and pushing deep into coastal British Columbia aboard a uniquely Canadian touring vessel.

time-read
9 mins  |
August - September 2022
Death, Incorporated
Men's Journal

Death, Incorporated

How Putin's mercenary army known as the Wagner Group does the Kremlin's dirtiest work in Ukraine and in conflict zones around the world.

time-read
10+ mins  |
August - September 2022
Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Men's Journal

Cynthia Addai-Robinson

The British-born actor trades the Shire's misty mountains for a fantasy island in Amazon Prime's prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

time-read
3 mins  |
August - September 2022
Idris Elba – Been Around the Block
Men's Journal

Idris Elba – Been Around the Block

Superstar actor Idris Elba hits 50 in September. But we might have not seen his prime yet.

time-read
6 mins  |
August - September 2022
American Ruins
Men's Journal

American Ruins

This country's unmatched and unlimited industrial might helped define the 20th century. But that was then, and this is now.

time-read
10 mins  |
August - September 2022
NICK KROLL
Men's Journal

NICK KROLL

The comedic powerhouse and man of many voices behind Big Mouth and Human Resources returns to the big screen in the star-studded thriller Don't Worry Darling.

time-read
2 mins  |
August - September 2022
HAIL TERRY
Men's Journal

HAIL TERRY

Four-time Super Bowl champion, avuncular television football analyst and all-around entertainer TERRY BRADSHAW's secret to career longevity? Letting it rip.

time-read
3 mins  |
August - September 2022
EVOLUTION OF Z REVOLUTION
Men's Journal

EVOLUTION OF Z REVOLUTION

How Nissan reinvented the smart, soulful sports car.

time-read
2 mins  |
August - September 2022
PLUNGE RIGHT IN
Men's Journal

PLUNGE RIGHT IN

Mallorca's cliff-lined coast is the peak playground for deep-water soloing-as grippingly demonstrated by the emerging sport's top climber.

time-read
2 mins  |
August - September 2022