A notoriously ruthless Russian general dubbed “the Butcher of Mariupol” has reportedly joined the Wagner mercenary group as a deputy commander, just days after being axed from a high-powered military post, according to a blogger.
Russian pro-war correspondent Alexander Simonov shared videos on his Telegram channel that purport to show Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev — who until recently served as deputy defense minister for logistics — visiting a training camp and touring Russian positions in the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
In the videos, the 60-year-old commander, whose brutal tactics in Ukraine have earned him the moniker “the Butcher of Mariupol,” is seen wearing fatigues bearing Wagner Group insignia.
One of the videos shows Mizintsev deep in conversation with a uniformed man believed to be a Wagner fighter discussing combat tactics and analysis of errors after battles.
News of Mizintsev’s new gig with the Wagner Group coincides with the release of two video statements by the paramilitary organization’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who vowed to withdraw his fighters from Bakhmut on May 10 after more than eight months of bloody fighting.
Prigozhin directed a foul-mouthed rant at Russia’s military brass, accusing high-ranking officials of denying his forces sufficient ammunition throughout the conflict because of “petty jealousy” of their success on the battlefield.
In one of the videos, a visibly shaken Progozhin showed a pile of bloodied corpses he said belonged to his slain fighters and blamed their deaths on lack of ammunition.
While Prigozhin has regularly lashed out at Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for incompetence, he has singled out individual commanders for praise.
On April 29, the day after Mizintsev’s firing from the Defense Ministry, Prigozhin’s press service said he had offered to hire the veteran general.
Mizintsev, who has more than four decades of military experience, was handed a pink slip just eight months after being tapped by the Kremlin to replace Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov, who has been blamed for bungling the initial invasion of Ukraine.
Mizintsev was said to be directly responsible for overseeing some of the most heinous atrocities during the first months of the war in Ukraine, including an airstrike in Mariupol that leveled a maternity hospital, killing a pregnant woman and her unborn baby.
The general also reportedly ordered the bombing of a Mariupol theater where hundreds of civilians, including many children, were sheltering during the brutal, months-long siege of the city, leaving at least 300 dead.
In March, Mizintsev was sanctioned by the British government for his “reprehensible” actions in Mariupol.
Previously, Mizintsev was allegedly responsible for the siege of Aleppo in Syria, where he ordered cluster-bomb strikes on residential areas.
