Thousands of mercenaries disappeared in one fell swoop

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The Wagner Group will probably soon lose most of its fighters. The reason for this is that many of them are almost out of six-month contracts. According to a January US estimate, about 50,000 Wagner mercenaries have been deployed in Ukraine, including about 40,000 convicted criminals. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozchin (61) launched a major recruitment offensive in Russian prisons last year. This peaked in the fall. In addition to a wage of $1,300 a month, it was agreed with the prisoners that they could buy their freedom for six months of combat use.

The Putin decree makes it possible

Many of the prisoners will soon be able to return to their homeland as free men. There is growing evidence that Russia is actually keeping its promise of freedom.

The British Ministry of Defense also reports on the facts, citing intelligence findings. The certificates issued to the prisoners were legitimized by a decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin (70). Thousands of Russian prisoners who fought for the Wagner mercenaries in the Ukraine war are expected to be pardoned and released in the coming weeks, according to Tuesday’s daily brief Ukraine report.

No more recruiting in prisons

It is unclear how many of the fighters recruited from prisons are still alive. British intelligence estimates that about half of the prisoners recruited were killed or wounded. Some of the prisoners of pardon also announced that they wanted to return to the front for Wagner.

Meanwhile, Moscow no longer allows the Wagner boss to be recruited in prisons. The British Ministry of Defense writes that the “exodus of convict troops” would exacerbate an already very tense situation in the mercenaries.

What is happening in Bachmut now?

Wagner plays a central role in the town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which has been fighting for months. Will the mercenary come under pressure on the strategically important front point? Apparently Wagner is having trouble recruiting. Prigozhin recently announced that 58 recruitment centers had been opened in 42 Russian cities. At the same time, he continues to ask Moscow for support.

It was not until Monday that Prigozhin published a letter to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (67) asking for reinforcements. According to his information, the Ukrainian armed forces are planning a large-scale offensive at the end of March or the beginning of April. The goal is to cut off the Wagner units from the Russian forces. Schoigu must urgently take the necessary steps to prevent this. According to him, Prigozhin’s mercenaries currently control about 70 percent of Bakhmut. (no)

Source: Blick