Sweden

The man who burned Quran in Sweden is connected to Wagner PMC

PMC “Wagner” is connected to Rasmus Paludan, a far-right extremist with dual citizenship in Sweden and Denmark who torched the Qur’an in the heart of Stockholm. He kept in touch with at least six “Wagnerians” through Russian social media; one is a well-known PMC recruiter.

Paliscope investigation

TV4 provided this information about an investigation by the Swedish publication Cold Facts, which is renowned for its exposure of public figures, officials, and politicians. Rasmus Paludan, well-known for his many Koran-burning efforts, was linked to the Russian PMC “Wagner,” according to an article published by the publication editors.

Paludan was friends with at least six people connected to Wagner PMC on Russian social networks, according to Cold Facts’ analysis of intelligence.

Paliscope has tracked 8,000 people thought to be mercenaries working wholly or partially for the PMC or members of the Wagner group.

Six “Wagners” were friends with Rasmus Paludan in the outlawed Russian social network “VKontakte” when TV4 looked into their connections to the Swedes.

Those he knows have participated in the battle in Donbas since 2014 or during the full-scale war in Ukraine on the side of Russia.

Connections with high-positioned officers

One of Paludan’s relationships is with Aleksandr Ilyutenko, who is thought to be a “Wagner” PMC recruiter.

“He is tasked with finding warriors for the Wagner organization and is a well-known Wagner recruiter. He makes a highly high-level appearance in several documents, both with senior management and at the political level. He isn’t simply a regular guy at the Wagner company “- Rolf Rosenvinge, Paliscope’s CEO.

We’ll just quickly remind you that on January 21 in Stockholm, a scandalous incident involving the burning of the Koran occurred. The nation’s capital witnessed demonstrations against Turkey’s opposition to Sweden’s plans to join NATO. 

It turns out that Russia organized the burning of the holy book of Islam through its agent and a private military company to delay Sweden’s entry into NATO. Perhaps the result was unexpected, as all NATO member states have almost ratified Finland’s accession. 

Photo: Protesters burn a portrait of Rasmus Paludan by Yasin AKGUL / AFP.

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