A FIGHTER in Vladimir Putin's infamous private army, the Wagner Group, has been arrested after illegally crossing the US border. Timur Praliev, a former Russian mercenary, was captured by police after wading across the Rio Grande into Texas from Mexico.
![[Ex-Russian mercenary Timur Praliev receiving a veterans' award in Russia last month]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/wagner-group-russian-mercenary-timur-962832173.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
He was arrested near the town of Roma, some 50 miles northwest of McCallen, carrying two passports and $4,000 along with 60,000 Mexican pesos ($2,895.11) in cash, on Saturday, January 4. Also in his possession was a drone, according to Assistant US Attorney Amanda McColgan.
![[He was arrested after crossing the Rio Grande illegally into Texas from Mexico]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/2017-roma-texas-border-patrol-368081401.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
When he was arrested, Praliev admitted to fighting for the Wagner Group, the notorious private army unofficially under the control of Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin. The group has operated in around a dozen countries, where its fighters have been accused of multiple war crimes.
![[He confessed to being part of Putin's private army, the Wagner Group]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/fighter-wagner-private-military-force-839907494.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
These include murder, rape, torture, and robbery of civilians, as well as torturing and killing deserters. Putin's private army has also been deployed as part of his invasion of Ukraine. The US considers the Wagner Group to be a paramilitary formation involved in war crimes, executions, and other violent acts across Africa and in Ukraine.
"The defendant was also in possession of a drone in his backpack when he crossed into the United States," McColgan said. "And he admitted, when interviewed, to being a member of the Wagner Group.". According to the criminal complaint against him, Praliev said "he was a citizen and national of Kazakhstan.".
