Prigozhin did not mention specific numbers. That statements are made about the number of dead and wounded is remarkable. Normally Russia and Wagner rarely comment on this. Russia has previously said it lost around 6,000 soldiers during the war, but that number seems to be a considerable understatement. Western intelligence services put the total number of killed and wounded on the Russian side at 150,000. On the side of Ukraine, about the same number of soldiers would have been eliminated.
Promises to prisoners
Last year, Prigozhin visited prisons in Russia to recruit troops for his mercenary army. He promised them a good salary and freedom if they survived the war and returned to Russia. Western analysts assume that the prisoners recruited are used at the front and that many of them die as a result. Prigozhin has repeatedly criticized Moscow for abandoning its troops. He claimed Wagner received too little ammunition, causing many casualties.
Transfer Bachmut
In recent months, the Wagner group has taken the lead in the siege of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bachmut. Prigozhin said on Saturday that the capture was completed, but Kiev denies it, saying they still control a small part of the city. According to Prigozhin, Wagner will begin a controlled withdrawal from Bachmut on Thursday to hand the city over to the Russian army.
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