A November 2022 video released by a Wagner-linked channel depicted the extrajudicial sledgehammer execution of Yevgeny Nuzhin, a Russian convict who defected to Ukraine. While Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin praised the killing of the "traitor," reports suggest Nuzhin was returned to Russia via a prisoner exchange. For detailed coverage, see reports from Reuters , BBC , and The Wall Street Journal .