A Ukrainian serviceman appears to be like on whereas a member of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner and former felony prisoner sits in an interrogation room after being captured close to Bakhmut.
The mercenary Wagner Group has launched a drive to recruit in Russian colleges and sports activities facilities after “shedding entry” to the nation’s prisons, in response to UK intelligence.
It comes after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group’s chief, had a well-documented bust-up with the Russian army over the struggle in Ukraine.
He mentioned mentioned the ammunition promised to his troops had not arrived, affecting their capability to assist Russia maintain on to the important thing metropolis of Bakhmut.
Of their newest replace on the struggle, the Ministry of Protection (MoD) mentioned round half the previous prisoners deployed in Ukraine by the Wagner Group have doubtless change into casualties of the battle, forcing them to attempt to recruit “free Russian residents”.
The MoD mentioned: “In latest weeks, Yevgeny Prigozhin has doubtless misplaced entry to recruiting in Russian prisons as a result of his ongoing disputes with the Russian MoD management.
“Prigozhin is very doubtless pivoting recruitment efforts in direction of free Russian residents.
“For the reason that begin of March 2023, Wagner has arrange outreach groups based mostly in sports activities facilities in not less than 40 places throughout Russia.
“In latest days, masked Wagner recruiters additionally gave profession talks in Moscow excessive colleges, distributing questionnaires entitled ‘software of a younger warrior’ to gather the contact particulars of pupils.”
Nevertheless, the MoD mentioned any new recruits “are unlikely to make up for the loss” of the previous convicts.
“If the tires endures, Prigozhin will doubtless be pressured to scale back the dimensions or depth of Wagner operations in Ukraine,” the MoD mentioned.
In the meantime, Russia was accused yesterday of defending the youngsters of the nation’s “elite” from the affect of the struggle.
The MoD mentioned Russia “continues to undergo extraordinarily heavy casualties”.
Nevertheless, areas containing ethnic minorities are taking “the largest hit” whereas “the richest cities of Moscow and St Petersburg have been left comparatively unscathed”.
“That is very true for the households of the nation’s elite,” the MoD mentioned.
Russia has stepped up its bombardment of Ukraine in latest weeks, whereas America has warned that the struggle may go on for years.
Zaporizhzhia, the place the nation’s largest nuclear energy station is predicated, has additionally been affected – elevating worldwide fears in regards to the potential for harmful nuclear penalties.