Europol confirms its participation in special operation exposed 654 Wagner, Redut fighters
Europol's core team for the investigation of international crimes supported Moldova and Ukraine in the second stage of the investigation of war crimes against members of the Wagner and Redut mercenary groups, the Europol press service said.
"Europol supported the second phase of an investigation by the Moldovan Police and Ukrainian Police against Russian mercenaries. Europol’s Core International Crimes Team assisted national authorities in identifying suspects allegedly involved in war crimes. Europol’s EU Internet Referral Unit also supported the action day, which focused individuals involved in war crimes committed during Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," the statement reads.
Europol supported the investigation by facilitating information exchange and providing specialised analytical support focused on the potential involvement of these individuals in war crimes committed in Ukraine. During the days of the event, Europol set up a virtual command post to facilitate communication between the authorities involved. It also stepped up intelligence gathering by cross-referencing operational data in real time with its databases, including OSINT research.
"Europol supports joint efforts to disrupt serious and organised crime and criminal networks that threaten the security of the EU and its neighbourhood. To do so, Europol has established robust operational and strategic cooperation frameworks with Ukraine and Moldova as part of the EU’s eastern neighbourhood. Europol signed an operational agreement with Ukraine, which was signed in December 2016 and entered into force in August 2017. Europol and Moldova signed an operational agreement in late 2014, which was then updated in 2020. These partnerships enable Europol to facilitate information exchange and alignment of operational activities and to coordinate law-enforcement responses across borders," the statement reads.
As reported, on October 29, law enforcement officers of Ukraine and Moldova conducted an international special operation "Avengers-2" during which more than 70 simultaneous searches were conducted and 654 militants of the Wagner and Redut PMCs were exposed. Among them are citizens of Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is believed that these individuals committed war crimes, such as acts of sexual violence, executions of prisoners of war and executions of civilians.
Based on the results of the searches, police investigators have already announced 11 suspicions against citizens of Ukraine who, during martial law, went over to the enemy side and participated in hostilities against Ukrainian forces as part of the Wagner and Redut PMCs. They are charged with high treason (Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), which provides for a penalty of 15 years of imprisonment to life imprisonment with seizure of property.
