The paramilitaries of the wagner group have become “the disposable infantry of the Russian offensive in the east of Ukraine”, who never backs down, never gives up and acts among his own in a “ruthless” way, says a Ukrainian intelligence report published by the CNN.
The Wagner mercenary group, led by the Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhinhas become very visible on the Ukrainian front in recent weeks and is always quick to take credit for the “success” of Russian advances, recalls the chain, always citing intelligence reports.
The document, dated December 2022, concludes that Wagner it poses a unique threat, even as it suffers extraordinary casualties: “The deaths of thousands of Wagner’s soldiers do not matter to Russian society,” the report states.
“Assault groups do not withdraw without an order… The unauthorized withdrawal of a team or without being injured is punishable by execution on the spot,” the document states.
Wiretaps obtained by a security source ukrainian intelligence and shared with CNN they also indicate a ruthless attitude on the battlefield. In one of them, a soldier is heard talking about another who tried to surrender to the Ukrainians and against whom they took reprisals.
Wagner’s wounded fighters were often left on the battlefield for hours. “The assault infantry cannot remove the wounded from the battlefield on their own, since they your main task is to continue the assault until you achieve the objective. If the assault fails, retreat is allowed, but only at night.”
The Ukrainians believe that the tactics of Wagner’s mercenaries “are the only ones that are effective for the poorly trained mobilized troops that make up the majority of the forces.” russian ground forces”.
And they suggest that the Russian military may even be adapting its tactics to become more like this group.
Russian convicts, tens of thousands of whom have been recruited by Wagner, often form the first wave in an attack and suffer the highest casualties, up to 80 percent of them, according to Ukrainian officials.
More experienced fighters follow, with thermal imaging and night vision equipment.
The organization for the defense of the rights of Russian prisoners Rus Sidiaschaya (RS) said on Monday that some 40,000 inmates recruited by the Wagner mercenary group had been killed, deserted, wounded or imprisoned in Ukraine.
“At the front there are about 10,000 (convicts) fighting, since the rest died, were wounded, disappeared, deserted or turned themselves in,” he said. Olga Romanovadirector of RS, to the portal My Russian Rights.
For his part, USA announced last Friday that it will impose new sanctions against Wagner for its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine and will designate it as a “transnational criminal organization”.
The kremlinFor his part, he minimized the importance of US sanctions and assured that they are not going to change anything “on a practical level.”
And the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, reacted over the weekend to the US announcement by saying that “at last, Wagner and the US will be colleagues”.
“Our relations from now on can be defined as ‘disputes between criminal clans,'” he said.
(With information from EFE)
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Source-www.infobae.com