Support our war crimes investigations unit Support
Skip to content

News Feed

3:10 AM
Intense battles are taking place in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on June 8, amid reports that Ukraine's much-anticipated counteroffensive to regain territory is now underway.
Want to partner with the Kyiv Independent?
Contact the Tellers Agency to connect your brand with independent media.
Contact
Ukraine Daily
News from
Ukraine in your
inbox
8:05 PM
Ukrainian forces achieved some success around Bakhmut but suffered "significant" losses in personnel and heavy equipment, CNN wrote on June 8, citing U.S. officials. Although Kyiv's troops managed to overrun Russians in some areas, they encountered heavier resistance than expected, according to the report.
MORE NEWS

watch us on facebook

Edit post

UK Defense Ministry: Russian Wagner Group's supply of convicts for war in Ukraine 'significantly reduced'

by The Kyiv Independent news desk February 3, 2023 11:36 AM 1 min read
This audio is created with AI assistance

The scale of involvement of Russian prisoners recruited by the state-backed mercenary Wagner Group in the war against Ukraine has "probably significantly reduced" compared to its peak between summer and fall 2022, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Feb. 3.

"Significant tensions between Wagner and the Russian Ministry of Defense are playing out in public; competition between factions in the Russian elite is likely to be partially responsible for the reduced supply of convicts," reads the ministry's latest intelligence update.

The U.K. Defense Ministry refers to the data of the Russian Federal Penal Service (FSIN), which shows that the number of prisoners in Russia fell by 6000 inmates from November 2022 to Jan. 31, 2023, while from September to November last year, the number of inmates decreased by 23,000.

"Wagner recruitment was likely a major contributing factor to this drop," the ministry wrote.

Also, some reports from the Ukrainian military on the ground in the last ten days suggest that Russian forces have been using the "human waves" tactic with Wagner convict troops in key sectors less often, according to the intelligence update.

The Wagner Group, Russia's most high-profile mercenary group, takes part in the battles in the Bakhmut area, eastern Donetsk Oblast, alongside the Russian military.

The U.K. Defense Ministry said on Dec. 19 that the Kremlin-controlled paramilitary organization was using a large number of poorly trained convicts it had recruited to fight against Ukraine.

It has been accused of human rights abuses in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mozambique, including torture and extrajudicial killings.

Ukraine's General Staff reported on Jan. 25 that Wagner Group was also recruiting imprisoned Ukrainian citizens who were forcibly taken to Russian prisons.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the President's Office, said on Jan. 15 that 77% of the Russian convicts recruited by the Wagner Group have been killed, injured, or captured by Ukrainian forces.

US designates Wagner Group as ‘transnational criminal organization'.
Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.
Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.
visa masterCard americanExpress

Editors' Picks

Support us

Enter your email to subscribe

Please, enter correct email address

Subscribe

* indicates required
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.