From a recruitment speech given at a Russian prison by the leader of the Wagner Group, a mercenary company that operates as a proxy for the Russian government. Footage of the speech was obtained by the BBC in September. Translated from the Russian.

I’m a representative of a private military company—perhaps you’ve heard of it, it’s called the Wagner Group. We need shock troops. Sixty percent of my guys are shock troops and you will be one of them. You will not differ from us in any way. We will treat you the same, sometimes with even more loyalty…