About half of convicts recruited by Wagner PMC killed or injured – British intelligence
About half of the convicts recruited six months ago by the private military company Wagner were killed or wounded during military operations in Ukraine, according to a defense intelligence report published on Twitter by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Tuesday.
At the same time, as noted in the message, the group fulfills its promise to release the survivors from further serving their sentences. “In the coming weeks, thousands of Russian convicts who have fought for Wagner Group are likely to be pardoned and released. Wagner prisoner recruitment peaked in autumn 2022, with inmates being offered commutation of their sentences after six months of service … The certificates issued to freed Wagner veterans claim to have been endorsed by the decree of President Putin,” the report reads.
At the same time, the intelligence service notes that since Wagner is now most likely prohibited from recruiting new prisoners, the dismissal of prisoners will aggravate the personnel problems of the PMC.
“In addition, the sudden influx of often violent offenders with recent and often traumatic combat experience will likely present a significant challenge for Russia’s war-time society,” the message says.