A former Wagner PMC fighter received a prison sentence in Azerbaijan.

The Grave Crimes Court in Ganja sentenced Ismail Hasanov to 3.5 years in prison. He recruited the Wagner PMC from a Russian prison colony and traveled to the Ukrainian war zone on the promise of release, money, and Russian citizenship.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, in July, the Sabail District Court of Baku arrested Ramil Aliyev and Ismail Hasanov, former prisoners of a Russian prison colony who, while serving their sentences, were recruited by the head of the Wagner PMC and participated in military operations abroad. According to the State Security Service, Aliyev and Hasanov participated in training exercises and combat operations involving firearms and explosives, and incited other Azerbaijani citizens to commit similar acts outside the country.

The Ganja Court of Grave Crimes sentenced Ismail (Ismayil) Hasanov to three years and six months in prison for participating in an illegal armed group outside of Azerbaijan, Oxu.Az reported.

Hasanov, a native of the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia, of which he served 8.5 years. According to the publication, Hasanov twice requested a transfer to Azerbaijan to serve the remainder of his sentence in his home country, but his request was denied.

In November 2022, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner private military company (PMC), visited the prison where Ismail Hasanov was held, offering the prisoners the opportunity to participate in combat operations in Ukraine for six months. "In exchange, each prisoner was promised 91,100 rubles, freedom, and Russian citizenship upon completion of their sentence," the publication states.

On November 25, 2022, Gasanov and other prisoners who accepted this offer were brought to Rostov-on-Don, where he signed a written contract with the Wagner PMC. The Azerbaijani native was then sent to Ukraine and underwent two weeks of military training.

Ismail Gasanov told Azerbaijani security forces that he had never participated in direct combat with Ukrainian military personnel and had not attacked institutions, organizations, or individuals. According to the mercenary, his main task was to evacuate dead and wounded Russian servicemen from the combat zone.

Six months after signing the contract, on May 25, 2023, Gasanov was taken to the border with the Rostov region. He was given the money promised in the prison colony, as well as a medal, a certificate of honor, and a simple mobile phone with a Russian SIM card. The court then determined that Gasanov did indeed receive Russian citizenship.

After his first contract, the Wagner PMC management offered Gasanov the opportunity to participate in combat operations in Ukraine, Mali, and Syria for 25,000 rubles a month, but he refused, the publication notes.

Ismail Gasanov was 50 years old at the time of his arrest in July. In Russia, he was wanted in 2013 for murder, but journalists were unable to establish the circumstances of his case, notes the publication “Vot Tak”*. The Azerbaijani publication Report reported that Ismail Hasanov and his co-defendant, Ramil Aliyev, committed serious and especially serious crimes in both Russia and Azerbaijan.

* are listed as foreign agents.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.