An operation by the Moldavan and Ukrainian national authorities, supported by Europol’s Core International Crimes team, targeted individuals suspected of having taken part in the war of aggression against Ukraine as mercenaries for the Wagner Group.
The investigation, led by the Ukrainian Police, involved the Moldavan Police, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine and the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organised Crime and Special Cases of Moldova.
The investigation has so far identified 85 individuals linked to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The National Police of Ukraine has opened a special criminal case, which contains information about the recruitment, training, financing, and use of the alleged mercenaries in combat actions against Ukraine.
This information has been shared with authorities in Moldova, where new preliminary investigations have been initiated.
The seizures made during the raids include a large number of documents, pictures and video material, which attest to the recruitment and conditions of service within the Wagner Group private military company and illustrate the involvement of the suspects in military actions in the territory of Ukraine.
The individuals, all Moldavan nationals, allegedly participated in the occupation of the city of Bakhmut, the battle for Donetsk Airport, the creation of the Debaltsevo cauldron within the Wagner paramilitary group, the Somali battalion and other armed formations of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic and Russia.
Investigative information shows that the individuals who were investigated have been awarded medals and decorations by the military leadership of the Russian forces in the occupied territories.
