Wagner’s message of intent to Europe
Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries have sent a “bloodied” sledgehammer in a violin case to the European Parliament after members started proceedings to label them as terrorists.
Sledgehammers have become an unofficial symbol of the Kremlinlinked group because its fighters have used them to kill during overseas missions.
In a video posted on one of its Telegram channels, a suited lawyer working for Wagner Group carries a violin case into a bare room and places it on a table.
He lifts the lid of the violin case, showing off a highly polished sledgehammer. The head has been engraved with Wagner’s logo and the handle has been dabbed with red paint to depict blood.
In a statement, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the financier and founder of Wagner Group known as Putin’s chef, said that he was sending the sledgehammer to the European Parliament as “information” before MEPs decide whether to label Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation. He also said that he was sad about this prospect.
The European Parliament this week declared Russia a terrorist state for invading Ukraine.
Prigozhin has been nicknamed “Putin’s chef ” because he runs a catering company and was photographed serving Kremlin guests alongside the Russian leader, most notably George W. Bush when he visited Moscow as US President 20 years ago.
European Parliament sources told the Telegraph they had not yet received the sledgehammer and said they suspected that it might be a stunt.
“If anyone needed further proof of Russia being a state sponsoring terrorism: Prigozhin just sent it in a violin case,” said Daniel Freund, a German Green MEP.