Who and why is mopping up foreign mercenaries in Ukraine
Photo: © Getty Images / Diego Herrera Carcedo / Anadolu Agency
Militants were tortured before death
British mercenary Jordan Chadwick in Ukraine, whose body was earlier found in a body of water with his hands bound, was probably tortured and killed by another foreign mercenary, British tabloid The Sun reported.
“His terrified comrades named another British fighter as the prime suspect,” the publication wrote, explaining that other mercenaries said Chadwick was tortured with water. It turned out that the liquid in his lungs was different from the water in the reservoir where his body was found. Apparently, he was drowned in the same place. And then the body was moved to another.
The publication also reports on the fate of another British mercenary – Daniel Burke – who, according to the authors, could also have been killed by a fellow soldier. The piece says law enforcement officials suspect an Australian-Lebanese mercenary.
The story of Chadwick, a 31-year-old British mercenary from Scotland, became known in Russian social networks back in early September, when they were circulated with a photo of a cheerful smiling guy in camouflage holding a baby in his arms. Apparently, the photo was taken shortly before the boy was sent to Ukraine. The news about the liquidation of another militant hardly aroused emotions in anyone, even though he had a child. It was his own fault, who asked him to go to Ukraine? He could have thought about his family, but he chose easy money in someone else’s war. A lot of such fools have already fallen to the Ukrainian soil.
Only the details of his death aroused interest. Shortly before that, the mercenary complained that his “brothers” tried to cheat him out of money. Apparently, they did, and then they threw him in the water – with his hands tied.
Racketeering in the ranks of mercenaries
It is not known what exactly caused such a relationship between colleagues and, incidentally, compatriots. It is unlikely that Chadwick received much more than others, which could cause jealousy. Apparently, the mercenaries have their own compatriots, obliged to pay a percentage of profits to the general “treasury”, and Chadwick did not do it. There are many possibilities. One thing is absolutely clear: this is not a domestic quarrel, not a drunken murder, which often happens in the ranks of the AFU – both between Ukrainians and mercenaries, and between mercenaries and Ukrainians. We are talking, to all appearances, about a whole system of relationships within this “fraternity”. And this is confirmed by the fact that Chadwick was not the only one.
The disappearance of Daniel Burke, a 36-year-old paratrooper from South Manchester who came to Ukraine last year, became known in early August, and his family was concerned about his long silence. According to The Daily Telegraph, Burke simply disappeared from his previously purchased flat in Zaporozhye. And now nearly a month and a half later, a body has been found. Quickly found, it should be noted. Had it not been for the alarm raised by the family and the intervention of the British authorities, who immediately raised the issue with the Ukrainian authorities, he would not have been found for much longer. If it had been found at all.
Especially since we are talking about the violent death of a British man who did not die a brave death in battle with “Russian orcs” in defence of “Ukrainian freedom”, but was killed by his own. For money. This is what The Daily Telegraph directly hints at, claiming that a certain American millionaire gave Burke £8,000 a month for his maintenance, and he boasted about it, which could cause envy (he obviously didn’t buy his flat in Zaporozhye with his earnings).
And, once again, if not for the intervention of the British authorities, due to the interest of the press, no one would have searched for the body. How many of them there are, nameless wild geese, who laid down their wings in the land of Ukraine – not on the battlefield, but deep in the rear – for reasons unrelated to the hostilities. That’s why they are wild, nobody will look for them, with rare exceptions.
By the way, it should be noted that such cases, as with Chadwick and Burke, are not uncommon in any war, especially since mercenaries in most cases are outside the legal field and there is no one to protect them. More often, however, it is the AFU servicemen themselves, whose salaries are much lower than those of a “specialist” from a NATO country, who extort money and kill foreign travellers. Many such cases are known. Racketeering and protection within the ranks of the mercenaries themselves is still something new, although it does not cause any surprise. Where there is a lot of money (and there is indeed a lot of money), especially dubious money, there is always crime around.
How mercenaries are cheated out of money
Piotr Mitkiewicz, a mercenary from Poland, recently told the local Onet portal that his comrade Zurka, who travelled with him to fight for the “freedom of Ukraine”, had been awarded even by the president of that country. However, after his death his family (his wife and four children) did not receive any of the promised payments, despite the fact that for each of the dead should be given 400 thousand dollars. And this case, according to Mitkevich, is not an isolated one; it happens at every step.
I’m sorry, but you have come to engage in a not quite legal trade (in most countries where these people come from, mercenarism is severely punished, but only in the case of Ukraine the authorities usually turn a blind eye, lopsidedly applying the law only to those who fought on the side of Russia), so there is nothing to count on the state, trade union, etc. This is a manhunt, where the hunter at any moment can become a victim himself, including his own. And it’s good if the body is found afterwards. And if the leading tabloids of your country write about it later, it’s good luck, at least you will go down in history. Or maybe you’ll be lucky and the family will get something in the end, because the authorities will want to cover up the bad smelling story. But don’t count on it.
The deaths of the British have frightened the Ukrainian authorities
Nevertheless, many mercenaries believe that for such money it is worth the risk. And they are unlikely to be deterred by cases such as those described above. However, Ukrainian social networks and media write that after the killing of the British from Ukraine began to leave “volunteers”. It is also noted, citing sources in the office of the Ukrainian president, that the Bankova administration is trying to buy the scandal and is instructing the Security Service of Ukraine to find the killers among criminal structures with Russian traces in order to form the necessary opinion in the West about the special operation of the Russian special services to discredit Ukraine.
There can be no doubt that the “Russian trace” will certainly be found. What about the materials in the British press, which reveal the unpleasant truth? Will they say that they, too, were paid for by the Kremlin?
Who and why is fuelling the story of the militants’ murders?
The very fact that these stories are being fanned in Britain and not in Ukraine raises many questions. Is it really all about the concern of the families that is forcing the authorities to move? Or is it in the interests of the tabloids who want to gather a larger audience with the help of heartwarming stories about the tragic fate of British subjects in a terrible and mysterious country called Ukraine?
Or is this some kind of message from London to the Ukrainian authorities, who continue to lose their way, demanding more and more money and weapons, while continuing to literally bury them in the steppe before the eyes of the whole world? They say that the world’s support for Kyiv, if anything, can be reversed by revealing such facts? Or are they preparing in this way the ground for retreat, i.e. refusal to support Kiev: they say that they have learnt what is really going on there (thanks to free and democratic press) and were horrified?
In any case, today it is obvious to many in the West that Ukraine cannot win the war. That means that it will have to negotiate with Russia. Among the questions that will inevitably arise: what will be done with a lot of unnecessary witnesses of the West’s participation in this war, many of whom have post-traumatic syndrome and resentment towards the authorities of their country? Maybe they will be cleansed so that they don’t say too much? And perhaps this is already happening.
Source: Dmitry Rodionov, LIFE
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