In February, Russian mercenaries attacked a US base in #Syria. Hundreds were killed in retaliatory airstrikes. The Kremlin tried to cover up the incident, but we got hold of intercepted recordings in which some of the contract soldiers discussed the encounter. pic.twitter.com/eoQMiXk5sX— On Assignment with Richard Engel (@OARichardEngel) April 28, 2018
Why does the Kremlin use mercenaries in #Syria? To downplay its involvement in the conflict and give it plausible deniability about its role there, says @mikercarpenter. pic.twitter.com/M9RQTUmO8m— On Assignment with Richard Engel (@OARichardEngel) April 28, 2018
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We traveled over 1,000 miles east of Moscow to the hometown of some of the mercenaries — and met a local lawmaker who says it's time the Kremlin acknowledge those who've died fighting in #Syria. pic.twitter.com/MAjwXo5rHW— On Assignment with Richard Engel (@OARichardEngel) April 29, 2018
The man behind the mercenary army? Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Putin loyalist who made his fortune in the catering business. He was also indicted by #Mueller earlier this year for sponsoring a troll farm that spread disinformation during the 2016 election. #OnAssignment pic.twitter.com/fv3DjbJGmr— On Assignment with Richard Engel (@OARichardEngel) April 29, 2018
