"Russian Activist Claims Wagner Group Leader Prigozhin Now Branded a 'Traitor' by Prisoners"
Russian prisoners, who were once recruited by Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group, have turned against him, viewing him as a traitor. Prigozhin, an ex-convict himself, was once popular among prisoners but lost their respect after calling off a short-lived mutiny against Russian leadership and agreeing to go into exile. Prisoners feel "depressed" and "apathetic" towards him, using the slang term "wool" to refer to traitors who collaborate with authorities. The Wagner Group had recruited thousands of prisoners to fight in Ukraine, promising them freedom after their service. The Russian Ministry of Defense has since stopped Wagner's recruitment drive and began recruiting prisoners for its own battalions, but some soldiers have become disillusioned due to poor conditions.