Wagner captures Russian commander as Prigozhin feud with army escalates

An aerial view of destruction in Bakhmut, most of which was captured by the Wagner group last month. Photograph: Ukrainian Armed Forces/Reuters

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner group of mercenaries has captured a Russian commander, as the notorious leader further escalates his feud with the regular army.

In a video posted on Prigozhin’s social media channels, Lt Col Roman Venevitin, the commander of Russia’s 72nd Brigade, tells an interrogator that, while drunk, he had ordered his troops to fire on a Wagner convoy.