"Putin's Cook" Yevgeny Prigozhin travels to colonies, where he personally recruits prisoners to participate in the war against Ukraine. This is indicated by the stories of two prisoners who did not know each other, which theytold to Mediazone.
One of them is serving a term in IK-2 of a strict regime in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region. According to him, “Mr. Prigogine with the star of Russia” arrived there. He told the prisoners that he represented the Wagner PMC and invited them to join there to take part in the war against Ukraine.
Together with Prigozhin, seven people in civilian clothes arrived at IK-2. Three of them, armed with pistols, went to the parade ground of the colony together with "Putin's cook", where about 1,500 people were rounded up. Among them were prisoners with disabilities serving quarantine, old people and patients from the medical unit.
“We are not armed forces, but a real paramilitary organized crime group. My guys enter African countries and leave nothing alive there in two days, and now they are also destroying enemies in Ukraine. Your decision to serve in the PMC is a deal with the devil. If you leave here with me, you will either return a free man or die. You will be required to kill enemies and follow the orders of the leadership. Those who turn back will be shot on the spot, ”the prisoner quotes a man who identified himself as Prigozhin.
To those who agree to the deal, "Putin's chef" promised 100,000 rubles a month "plus a bonus of about the same." If the prisoner dies, his family is promised to pay 5 million rubles.
The second prisoner is serving a term in IK-4 in Plavsk, Tula region. He said that Prigozhin had been there on July 25. According to him, at the same time, recruiters flew over several other correctional institutions in a helicopter.
The story of the Tula prisoner coincides with the story of Yaroslavsky. He claims that Prigozhin talked about his "powers from the president" and that he must win "this damn war at any cost." In addition to money and pardon, he promised prisoners who agree to fight, the removal of a criminal record, and those who do not have Russian citizenship – a passport. “I myself was in prison for 10 years and therefore I think that you will like my proposal,” the prisoner quotes Prigogine.
In addition, both sources told Mediazona that after the visit of "Putin's chef", all prisoners were deprived of access to the Zonatelecom service, leaving them with only illegal communications.