The Wagner Private Military Company reportedly posted a video aimed at recruiting U.S. veterans to join the Russian cause in the war against Ukraine, where Wagner mercenaries are fighting alongside Russian soldiers.
In the video, posted on the Telegram social media platform by an account called “@Belyshum,” and reposted by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a heavily accented voiceover argues that America has abandoned its founding ideals, and that only Russia stands for the fight against evil worldwide.
Footage of U.S. soldiers saluting the flag is soon replaced by scenes of suffering in the Middle East — and the rioters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 clashing with police, as well as images of Black Lives Matter protests.
The voiceover says, in part:
You dreamed of defeating evil; you dreamed of doing much to ‘make America great again.’ But in reality, you served criminal orders — the destruction of nations, the death of civilians — and all for the will of a bunch of families who thought they were earthly gods, deciding who would live under their rule, and who would be destroyed.
You began to realize that this is the side of evil. This is not the America the Founding Fathers dreamed of. It has become the focus of the evil that is destroying the whole world. And today, the only country fighting this evil is Russia.
If you’re a true patriot of the very future of great America, join the ranks of the warriors of Russia. Help defeat evil, or it will be too late for everyone.
The video closes with video of a a torchlight procession in the shape of a swastika, followed by the flag of the Ukrainian Azov batallion, which is tied to the far-right.
It concludes by suggesting a nuclear explosion in a city.
The Wagner PMC soldiers are thought to be superior to Russian army regulars and reservists in the field.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.