comment: >
  
  Doesn't matter. If someone invades your house, even under false pretenses, by mistake, whatever, and starts fucking shit up and killing people, you get to defend yourself.
context: The Wagner Group is some bad shit. They increased their numbers from 8k a year ago to 50k, of which they have lost 40k. Apparently, Russian doctors refuse to treat them, too. And they operate without any official nation, despite apparently answering directly to Putyin. >
  
  Went from 50k to 8k? Sounds like a bunch of pussies
  Edit: started with 8, went to 50, end with 10. Still a bunch of pussies >
  
  Even better (sarcasm implied) they're openly recruiting again on Twitter of all places. Screams a bit of desperation to me. >
  
  They're also put out TV adds in Serbia, which has laws against its citizens fighting for foreign armies.
  You may think "meh" but Serbia was largely pro Putin because of the UN in Kosovo, but these adds are part of them turning their back on Russia. >
  
  I mean...its a 'Private Military Contractor' but thats splitting semantic hairs at this point. >
  
  Not splitting hairs under the geneva convention. They are not afforded protections under it. >
  
  Yep, but they are acting as 'Russian Armed Forces' which, depending on how a gov't like Serbia may view it, could be seen as serving a foreign military.
  That's the only semantic hair I was referring to. >
  
  1) mercenaries are not entitled to POW status
  2) Ukrainian state does not deny treatment to Wagner mercenaries. Some doctors refuse in individual order, because they see Wagner soldiers with HIV/hepatitis as biohazard. >
  
  Wagner group members are not mercenaries under international law, they are legal combatants and are entitled to POW protection. This also means that Russia is responsible for any warcrimes they commit. They have exactly the same status that US PMC soldiers (ie Blackwater) had in Iraq. >
  
  Point taken.
  Upd: 
  Article 47 - Mercenaries
  
  
  A mercenary shall not have the right to be a combatant or a prisoner of war.
  
  
  A mercenary is any person who:
  
  
  (a) is specially recruited locally or abroad in order to fight in an armed conflict;
  (b) does, in fact, take a direct part in the hostilities;
  (c) is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar ranks and functions in the armed forces of that Party;
  (d) is neither a national of a Party to the conflict nor a resident of territory controlled by a Party to the conflict;
  (e) is not a member of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict; and
  (f) has not been sent by a State which is not a Party to the conflict on official duty as a member of its armed forces.
  Wagner members do not qualify as mercenaries, because of (d) - they’re Russian nationals. >
  
  Do you mean D? Because, at least according to my looking, they are former soldiers. >
  
  Yes, thank you. >
  
  It's interesting that you can meet 4 or 5 out of these and still not be considered a mercenary. >
  
  Mercenary gets paid to invade Ukraine and murder its citizens,  gets sick and now wants the people they were hired to kill treat them. Nah, I'd rather treat the Ukrainian people who didn't want war to begin with. >
  
  Geneva convention doesn't apply to Wagner scumbags.  Unless Russia wants to make Wagner officially a branch of the Russian military. >
  
  Geneva convention treatment of wounded soldiers applies to all enemy combatants. >
  
  I thought mercenaries werent considered combatants >
  
  They are to be treated as criminals not POWs, however the legal requirement to protect life is there regardless. If the nations legal system allows they can be executed without breaking the Geneva convention but this doesn’t mean restriction of medical attention. >
  
  Not quite, if it's ruled currently they're illegal combatants their respect to life is actually invalid. Similar to saboteurs. I guess you could make the argument if they're considered criminals the punishment for them fighting in ukraine could be death if they're part of wagner. >
  
  medical supplies are very valuable during wartime >
  
  Soldiers are one thing. Mercs? Leave them in a ditch somewhere for the carrion birds. >
  
  Says an Israeli right wing newspaper in a puff piece about the Wagner Group mercenaries. >
  
  Israeli right wing newspaper finds common bonds with literal Nazis. 
  Nothing new there. >
  
  Right wing Israelis are the new Nazis. >
  
  Good dont help your nation killers >
  
  The only healthcare those bastards deserve is a bullet. >
  
  Too expensive. The French had a certain reusable resource a couple centuries back. >
  
  They are deniable mercenaries. That literally goes out the window. Russia still hasn't declared this an actual conflict, to boot.  They are lucky they weren't lined up against a wall and freaking shot. >
  
  Odd, I would expect treating individuals with even diseases like pneumonia and HIV to be a non issue in 2023.
  Seems like its just an excuse for doctors to turn a blind eye to the Hippocratic Oath because they are on the "other side".
  If thats the case, I find that to be a poor decision. The most effective way to try and prevent future issues would be to treat these soldiers promptly and effectively, making at least some of them start to question why they are even fighting in the first place.
  But denying them medical help is pretty much a fast track way to just solidify that they are on the "right" side of the war and should just keep going down the path they are. SMH. >
  
  These people are bombing/shelling nursery’s, playgrounds, hospitals and anywhere they can to kill the most civilians. If they still think they are on the right side of the war after that then they don’t deserve consideration. >
  
  The Hippocratic Oath doesn't apply to rabid animals. >
  
  Money don't help if you can't spend it, does it? >
  
  Add bioweapons to the list of Russian war crimes. >
  
  Feeling mixed on this one. First time since the invasion I think.
  I do think they should try to treat them, if they can safely do so. But I can also imagine that a war would not provide such opportunities as they need the supplies for their own and also need to protect themselves from harm.
  So? I dunno. Russia is fucked though. There will be consequences way past Putin’s life span for the Russian people. Which is sad, most of them don’t deserve it. Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦 >
  
  What, why? If a country invades your country, will you treat their soldiers? That's insane. You want them all dead. >
  
  How many soldiers from Russia were send out willingly actually understanding the situation? It’s not for nothing they have so many defectors.