More than a third of the almost 50,000 convicts recruited by Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group to fight in Ukraine were killed during fighting for the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the BBC’s Russian service and independent Russian media outlet MediaZona have reported.
The recruitment of prisoners started in July 2022 and lasted until February 2023, during which time inmates from some of Russia’s toughest penal colonies were enticed to fight through promises of freedom after six months’ service on the frontline and generous compensation to their families in the event of their death.
But even the Wagner Group made no secret of the fact that the men were little more than cannon fodder, calling the Battle of Bakhmut the ‘Bakhmut Slaughterhouse.’ Fighting for the city cost the lives of more than 19,500 Wagner mercenaries, of whom almost 17,200 had been drafted in from prisons, a Monday report by MediaZone showed.
The service identified 341 penitentiaries of the 501 from which Wagner took prisoners to fight in Ukraine. Of these, 227 were maximum security facilities, and 28 had the status of special centers, where the most dangerous criminals were incarcerated, including those serving life sentences.
The MediaZone investigation found that Wagner had paid out almost 108 billion roubles (5 billion złoty, or 1.15 billion euro) in compensation to the families of fatalities. Each family reportedly received 5 million roubles (around 225,000 złoty, or €52,000) per family member killed, in addition to a further 300,000 roubles (over 13,000 złoty, or almost €3,000) for funeral expenses.
The figures provided by MediaZone tally with estimates by Western military analysts.
But even the Wagner Group made no secret of the fact that the men were little more than cannon fodder, calling the Battle of Bakhmut the ‘Bakhmut Slaughterhouse.’ Fighting for the city cost the lives of more than 19,500 Wagner mercenaries, of whom almost 17,200 had been drafted in from prisons, a Monday report by MediaZone showed.
The service identified 341 penitentiaries of the 501 from which Wagner took prisoners to fight in Ukraine. Of these, 227 were maximum security facilities, and 28 had the status of special centers, where the most dangerous criminals were incarcerated, including those serving life sentences.
The MediaZone investigation found that Wagner had paid out almost 108 billion roubles (5 billion złoty, or 1.15 billion euro) in compensation to the families of fatalities. Each family reportedly received 5 million roubles (around 225,000 złoty, or €52,000) per family member killed, in addition to a further 300,000 roubles (over 13,000 złoty, or almost €3,000) for funeral expenses.
The figures provided by MediaZone tally with estimates by Western military analysts.
Source: TVP Info, BBC, MediaZona
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