Shots also fired

Wagner mercenaries involved in mass brawl

Wagner mercenaries fight against masked men who have shot at them.(Bild: Screenshot twitter.com/OsintWWIII)

Wild street battles broke out at the weekend in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, home to over a million inhabitants, between members of the Wagner mercenary company and a group of men described by eyewitnesses as criminals. Shots were also fired. Several people were injured.

The police have initiated criminal proceedings, the Russian television station RTVI reported on Monday. According to media reports, the incident was triggered by a dispute between men over a woman. 

Wagner mercenaries driven away with gunfire
Videos on social media (see below) show two groups fighting a street battle. First, one side, who are said to be former Wagner mercenaries, beat up their opponents with batons and other weapons. Then hooded men dressed in black arrive and fire shots from pistols. However, the pistols were probably non-lethal weapons. Nevertheless, several people were injured.

The Wagner unit, which has since been integrated into the Russian military, became the focus of much public attention, particularly in the first year of the war against Ukraine. Among other things, it was involved in the bloody battles for the eastern Ukrainian town of Bachmut, which was completely destroyed in the course of the fighting.

Wagner's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has since died, also recruited serious criminals for the unit, who were promised release after completing their service in return for their participation in Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. Since then, there have been repeated reports of crimes committed by Wagner mercenaries in Russia after their return from Ukraine.