Man admits to Wagner Group membership after ‘pretending’ to be involved

A man has admitted to being a member of the Wagner Group but claimed he was only “pretending” to be involved.

Piotr Kucharski, 49, pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed organisation between September 15 and October 28 2023.

The charge alleged he had “professed to be a member” of the Russian mercenary group and, as he entered pleas at the Old Bailey on Friday, he said: “Guilty that I was pretending that I was a member of the organisation.”

Dan Pawson-Pounds, prosecuting, said: “There is no evidence that Mr Kucharski actually travelled to the location he claimed to have gone to, or engaged in the activities relating to the Wagner Group, so that is why the charge has been framed in the way it has.”

Simon Gledhill, defending, said: “In short, he told people, and gave the impression that, he was a member of the group” rather than being an actual member.

Kucharski stood in the dock wearing a black blazer over a black t-shirt and spoke via a translator.

His address is listed as Watford, Hertfordshire, but he said after the hearing that he is from Poland.

He was convicted and served a 15-year sentence for armed robbery in Poland, the court was told.

He remains on conditional bail.

The Wagner Group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in September 2023, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group in the UK.