The United States estimates that more than 30,000 mercenaries from the Wagner groupsupported by Russia, have died since the beginning of the war in Ukrainethe White House reported this Friday.
The spokesman for the National Security Council of the US Presidency, John Kirby, has indicated in a press conference that of these casualties they calculate that about 9,000 have been produced since mid-December past with the intensification of the battle in Bakhmutin the Donbas area, eastern Ukraine.
Kirby has added that based on the intelligence information available to the United States, he believes that 90% of Wagner’s casualties in December would be convicts enlisted in the organization. “They are using their recruits, most of them convicts, as cannon fodder, they are literally throwing them at a meat grinder“, he assured.
US imposes sanctions on mercenaries
The US has imposed sanctions against the group of Russian mercenaries Wagner for its involvement in the war in Ukraine and has designated it as “transnational criminal organization”which opens the possibility of continuing to punish this organization and its allies around the world financially.
In January, the US estimated that the group would have some 50,000 troops deployed in Ukraineof which 10,000 would be contractors and 40,000 ex-convicts, and announced that Wagner recruits guerrillas in Russian prisons.