Up to 5,000 Wagner mercenaries fighting in Ukraine — Defence Intelligence

Due to the failure of covert mobilization in Russian Federation, the invaders are increasing the number of PMC Wagner (Liga – Ed.) mercenaries, who are involved in the war in Ukraine.

The Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reported about this.

“Russians increasingly refuse to go and die for the ideas of the Kremlin dictator. Taking this into account, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation decided to increase the number of PMC Wagner mercenaries participating in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. First of all, in the war against our state, the command of the Russian Army actively uses representatives of the Russian PMC Wagner (Liga – Ed.),” stated the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

According to intelligence information, there are between 4,500 and 5,000 mercenaries in the temporarily occupied territories.

It is also noted that these mercenaries operate in certain areas as assault units performing tasks on the first line of offensive troops.

PMC Wagner is a Russian military structure that is staffed by mercenaries, Russian prisoners and supplied with weapons and ammunition from the warehouses of the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

The structure is subordinated to the Special Operations Forces of the Russian Federation, and only disguises itself as a private company, instead performing the tasks of both the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense of Russia and the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.

The PMC Wagner base was destroyed in mid-August in the occupied Ukrainian settlement of Popasna. The Russians claim a hit, probably a GMLRS missile from the M142 HIMARS rocket system.

Russian mercenaries set up their base in a high-rise building.

The Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported on the involvement of PMC Wagner in the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region.

As previously reported, Russia will increase its Armed Forces staff in 2023. Putin signed a decree according to which the size of the Russian armed forces will be increased by 137,000 to 1,150 million servicemen.