The Russian mercenary group Wagner suffered heavy losses in the war in Ukraine – experts estimate that every second soldier in the private army could have been killed or wounded. In the near future, Wagner will lose most of their remaining combatants in one fell swoop: the contracts of many soldiers recruited from the prison will expire.
Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is currently on a promotional tour of Russian sports clubs to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers for his army. Up to 800 men a day would sign contracts every day – and the troops probably desperately need these supplies.
Four out of five Wagner mercenaries are ex-convicts
Because the contract of those fighters recruited last fall in Russian prisons, according to the contract, will soon be allowed to return home. They had committed to six months, in exchange for which they were offered release. About 50,000 Wagner mercenaries are deployed in Ukraine, 40,000 of them criminals, according to an assessment by US experts in January.
There are indications that Russia actually releases the recruited prisoners six months after commitment – the British Ministry of Defense reports, among others, citing findings from intelligence services. There is also a decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin legitimizing the certificates issued accordingly. Thousands of Wagner mercenaries will thus be pardoned in the coming weeks. However, there are also reports of fighters who want to continue serving at the front even after their contract for Wagner has expired.
Recruitment in prisons is now prohibited. The “exodus of convict troops” is said to have exacerbated an already tense situation in the mercenaries, according to the British Ministry of Defence.
Source: Krone
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