PMC "Wagner" lost 20,000 prisoners in few months, - British intelligence

According to British intelligence, in recent months, the "Wagner" PMC has lost 20,000 prisoners in the war, which is about half of all prisoners recruited in prisons.

This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to a British intelligence report.

In the coming days, the "Wagner" PMC is likely to release the last of its prisoners from its ranks.

The recruitment scheme in prisons reached its peak in early 2023, when around 40,000 people were employed as part of Project K. A significant number of prisoners, however, are likely to continue to be contracted by the "Wagner" PMC.

"Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defence has taken over the 'Wagnerian' source of recruitment in prisons," the intelligence adds.

It is noted that the completion of this "Wagner" scheme is a kind of "change of era" in the history of PMCs and in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Read also: "Wagnerites continue to arrive in Belarus, - Pentagon

"The soldiers provided by Project K enabled Russia to capture Bakhmut, one of its most recent claimed successes. The project helped Wagner grow into an organization that directly challenged President Putin's authority last month. It also marks one of the bloodiest episodes in the modern history of warfare, with up to 20,000 recruited prisoners killed in a few months," the intelligence concludes.

As reported by Bloomberg, Russia is preparing to send more of Kadyrov's military and prisoners to the war in Ukraine to make up for the shortage after the "Wagner" PMC mutiny.