Released Wagner prisoners cause trouble for Putin

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For his offensive war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) needs soldiers – and a lot. To increase his troops, he could count on Wagner boss Yevgeny Progishin (61). Prigozhin recruited masses of prisoners from Russian prisons into his mercenary organization.

Now these mercenaries are becoming a problem for the Kremlin boss. Because the deal stipulates that the mercenaries will be pardoned and released by Russia after six months of service. This will now happen on a large scale in the coming weeks, the British secret service writes in its latest analysis.

Staff shortage worsens

Accordingly, thousands of Russian prisoners will soon receive their ticket to freedom. Finally, recruitment of Wagner prisoners peaked in the fall of 2022. Tens of thousands of soldiers had been recruited from the prisons. British intelligence estimates that about half of the prisoners recruited were killed or wounded.

There is currently growing evidence that the Wagner Group is keeping its promise of freedom. According to the secret service, the certificates issued to the prisoners were legitimized by a presidential decree issued by Putin.

The deal will be a problem for Putin: the releases exacerbate Russia’s labor shortage in Ukraine. The Wagner Group is losing important resources and thousands of soldiers are likely to go missing in the coming weeks.

On the other hand, Russian society faces a problem: violent criminals suddenly return to Russia – often traumatized by their war experiences in Ukraine. The Secret Service concludes: “Russia probably faces a major challenge.”

Source: Blick