Cruel but effective: that is why Wagner sacrifices so many soldiers Despite a vote in parliament, the Dutch king still does not have to pay taxes

It was one of Russia’s few military successes since the invasion of Ukraine: the capture of the small “salt city” of Soledar. On January 10, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary army, announced on video that the salt mines would be taken, and about a week later the Ukrainian army admitted its withdrawal.

In the meantime, it has been leaked how the Wagner mercenaries were able to achieve this conquest, which was accompanied by high losses. The Russian opposition information center www.cirminalru.info refers to an informant who was probably himself a member of the Wagner group and who has made details of the attack tactics public.

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According to this source, the Russian attackers usually advanced in four waves of eight soldiers each. But there were also battles where up to 14 waves were “used up”. All assault groups are ex-convicts. The experienced specialists of the Wagner core troops are assigned to the stormtroopers only as punishment.

The first wave: achieve the goal at all costs

The first wave is best equipped with guns and body armor. She must “at any cost” reach a terrain objective that a drone pilot has previously explored and specified. If the target is not reached – whatever the reason – the surviving soldiers are shot by their superiors. Slightly wounded who try to retreat during the attack are shot in the legs.

If the stormtroopers reach the target despite the enemy’s defensive fire, they must mark it and immediately dig in. “Wagner trains dig as hard as they shoot,” says the source. They must then radio the coordinates of the enemy’s positions to their own artillery.

The second through fourth waves

The second to fourth waves are less equipped than the first. Their objective is to reach the first wave’s positions and recoup their losses while their own artillery shells the Ukrainian positions.

The discipline among the ex-detainees is said to be so high that they rush forward even after the first wave of attacks. This is a direct result of the brutal training and the ‘welcome ritual’: Wagner newcomers are apparently first shown videos of their own soldiers being executed before training begins. So if they charge forward, they still have a better chance of survival than refusing the attack.

From the inhumane perspective of the Russian military, this is a very welcome tactic. Even if all four waves of Wagner mercenaries are killed, at most 32 ex-prisoners were lost in this attack. If regular army units were to achieve the same attack targets, they would “only” have to take into account losses of about 50 percent, but in absolute numbers this would mean a disproportionately higher death toll.

On the other hand, this explains the anger of the Wagner mercenaries at the lack of ammunition in their own artillery, which they have reportedly already publicly manifested on YouTube videos. Because without the support of the artillery, their attacks turn completely into suicide missions.

Of the 50,000, 10,000 remain

Whether the Wagner forces can maintain their “successful” attack tactics after the massacre at Soledar and Bachmut is another question altogether. According to the non-governmental organization “Rus Sidyashchaia”, only 10,000 of the 50,000 Wagner mercenaries recruited in Russian prison camps remain.

And sources from Russia report that it is now almost impossible to find volunteers for Wagner. Even in the prison camps, rumor seems to have spread that joining the Wagner mercenary army was tantamount to a suicide mission. This week, a video from the Russian propaganda channel Blackrussian went viral, calling up American veterans to serve with Wagner, illustrating the desperate efforts to recruit new members.

Meanwhile, according to military experts, the Wagner soldiers are being withdrawn from the Bakhmut area and replaced by conventional troops of the Russian army; On the one hand, this happens because in the smoldering power struggle with Wagner boss Prigozchin, the Russian General Staff wants to claim victory at Bakhmut. On the other hand, this would be further evidence of the terrible losses suffered by the Wagner mercenaries. (aargauerzeitung.ch)