- Over 30,000 mercenaries serving for the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group have been killed or injured.
- 9,000 fighters were killed in fighting.
- Despite the fatalities, Wagner has made inroads into Bakhmut.
According to American officials, over 30,000 mercenaries serving for the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group have been killed or injured since the Ukrainian war began.
The group has suffered severe losses in recent weeks, according to White House spokesperson John Kirby, with around 9,000 fighters killed in fighting.
Wagner has aggressively recruited in Russian jails, and Mr. Kirby claims that the majority of casualties were inexperienced criminals.
Despite the fatalities, Wagner has made inroads into Bakhmut.
The eastern city has seen some of the heaviest combat of the war, with Wagner mercenaries prominently participating in Russian efforts to conquer it.
Ukrainian troops say Wagner fighters had been sent into attacks in large numbers over open ground, and a Ukrainian army spokesperson said Moscow had failed to evacuate wounded and dead soldiers – leading to “places where their bodies are just piled up”.
Taking Bakhmut could help Russia to make gains further west, such as in Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.
However, Mr. Kirby – the US National Security Council spokesperson – warned additional improvements could prove tough since the gains made in Bakhmut had taken months to achieve and come at a “devastating cost that is not sustainable”.
He also questioned the city’s military importance.
“They may end up being successful in Bakhmut, but it will prove of no real worth to them because it is of no real strategic value,” Mr. Kirby told reporters.
In addition, UK intelligence officers estimate that Russian regular forces and Wagner troops suffered between 175,000 and 200,000 casualties, including 40,000 to 60,000 deaths.
Poor medical provision
The high number of deaths was “very definitely” caused by “quite poor medical provision,” according to the UK defense ministry.
Before the war, the Wagner Group was substantially smaller, with only 5,000 combatants, the majority of whom were experienced, former soldiers.
While Russia struggled to locate troops for its invasion of Ukraine, it began recruiting tens of thousands of fighters last year, primarily from prisons, according to the US. According to UK officials, half of those convicted have most likely been injured or killed.
But last week, Mr. Prigozhin, the group’s founder, announced it would stop recruiting in prisons. The move followed longstanding tensions between Wagner and the Russian military.
“The number of Wagner units will decrease, and we will also not be able to carry out the scope of tasks that we would like to,” he said.
Mr. Prigozhin has accused Moscow’s “monstrous bureaucracy” of stifling progress in Ukraine, and the Russian army of improperly claiming credit for previous Military achievements.
Wagner is reported to have begun operations in the occupied Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and has subsequently expanded to other parts of Ukraine, Syria, and Africa. It has been charged with atrocities and war crimes.
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