UK intelligence confirms Wagner PMC losses in Ukraine

The UK intelligence confirmed that up to 20 thousand convict-recruits of the PMC "Wagner" were killed in the waging war against Ukraine in several months.

In the coming days, Russia’s Wagner Group is likely to release the last of its convict-recruits from their mandated service. Its Project K prison recruitment scheme peaked in early 2023 and at least 40,000 men served under it, Caliber.Az reports, citing the UK Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 21 July 2023.

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“A significant number of the now pardoned convicts are likely to take up the offer to continue with Wagner as professional contractors. Meanwhile, the Russian MOD has taken over Wagner’s prison recruitment pipeline,” the ministry said.

According to the report, the end of the scheme marks a way point in the history of Wagner and of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The soldiers provided by Project K enabled Russia to seize Bakhmut: one of its few recent claims to success.

“The project grew Wagner into the organisation which, last month, directly challenged the authority of President Putin. It also marks one of the bloodiest episodes in modern military history: up to 20,000 convict-recruits were killed within a few months,” the report added.