Wagner Group fighter recruited from prison receives six-year prison sentence after opening fire on police

A court in Russia’s Rostov region has sentenced a former Wagner Group fighter who was recruited from prison to six years and 11 months in prison for attacking police officers near the Ukrainian border late last year.

The incident occurred on December 6, 2022, when Pavel Nikolin opened fire on two policemen who were searching for a missing woman. After injuring one of the officers, Nikolin fled the scene, leading to a search operation involving police, soldiers, and National Guardsmen. He was arrested the following day.

Nikolin later claimed he had become separated from his unit on the battlefield, accidentally crossed from Ukraine into Russian without realizing it, and mistook the police officers for Ukrainians.

Nikolin was convicted of illegal possession of weapons, threatening murder, and causing grievous bodily harm through negligence.

Before joining Wagner Group, Pavel Nikolin was serving a prison sentence for robbery. He had previously been convicted of car theft and escaping prison, among other things.