Wagner mercenary chief calls for Russian defence minister’s son-in-law to be raped or ‘given the sledgehammer’

London, Feb 27 (IANS) The boss of the feared Russian Wagner mercenary group has called for the Russian Defence Minister’s son-in-law to be “raped” or “given the sledgehammer”, a media report said.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin threatened to have his men bring Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu’s son-in-law Alexey Stolyarov (33) to him so he could be trained to go and fight in Ukraine, Daily Mail reported.

Prigozhin said the fitness influencer could be ‘raped’ or face the notorious ‘sledgehammer’ that Wagner has used to kill defectors, as the bitter rift between Vladimir Putin’s top military cronies spirals out of control, the report said.

The Wagner chief, like General Shoigu, is a close Putin crony, but the two men loathe each other.

In a new onslaught, Prigozhin demanded that Stolyarov – who avoided the military draft and is the partner of Shoigu’s 32-year-old daughter Ksenia Shoigu – should be trained for war.

“I can give instructions on what needs to be done – it is necessary to catch Stolyarov and bring him to me,” said Progozhin, Daily Mail reported.

“I will train him for six weeks. I will help him improve by sending him to combat operations. Before that he can be [raped],” he added.

Prigozhin also ranted that “we ought to pick up a sledgehammer, and deal with it in an adult way, leaving humour aside”.

At least one convicted murderer, Yevgeny Nuzhin (55), was bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer for deserting Wagner’s frontline, and there are reports that there were more such cases.

Prigozhin has raged against the Defence Minister, especially over the slow supply of ammunition and weapons to his forces who comprise volunteers and convicts released to fight for Putin. He has labelled such failings as treachery, Daily Mail reported.

Prigozhin is seen as wanting General Shoigu to be fired, amid rumours that he craves the Defence Minister’s job himself.

–IANS

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