Air Force veteran joined the Russian military after being caught impersonating his commander
FEATUREDWIB CULTUREWIB POLITICS April 12, 2024 Staff Writer
HOLYOKE — More videos have surfaced purportedly showing former Holyoke city councilor — and one-time Air National Guard member — Wilmer Puello-Mota fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine.
The video circulating on the social media site Telegram from pro-Russian media outlets purportedly shows 28-year-old Puello-Mota signing a contract at a center in Khanty-Mansiysk in Western Siberia.
In January, Puello-Mota fled the country ahead of a scheduled court date in a Rhode Island criminal case where he is accused of possessing child pornography.
A pro-Kremlin correspondent who first shared the clip said Puello-Mota was given an initial one-time payout of 745,000 rubles (about $8,060). Thereafter, his pay will be 150,000 rubles ( about $1,621) every two months he’s in the Russian military, according to Latvian news website Meduza. The story was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by Aric Toler of the New York Times.
https://warisboring.com/air-force-veteran-joined-the-russian-military-after-being-caught-impersonating-his-commander/
