The scale is no longer the same – British intelligence on the recruitment of convicts to Wagner’s PMС
The scale of the convict recruitment campaign for Wagner’s private military campaign is likely to have decreased significantly compared to the peak seen in the summer and fall of 2022.
This trend was reported in the intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain on February 3.
Thus, according to data published by the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation, as of January 31, 2023, the number of prisoners in Russia is 433,000.
This is 6 thousand less than in November 2022.
Instead, from September to November 2022, the number decreased by 23,000.
So British intelligence suggests that Wagner’s recruitment to the PMC was the main factor contributing to the reduction in the number of prisoners.
At the same time, the British intelligence officers did not ignore the unofficial testimony coming from the front during the last ten days.
It is known that the Russian command relies less and less on convicts recruited by the Wagnerites, without trying to take key sectors of the front in numbers.
It is possible that part of the reason for this is the competition in the Russian elite and the tension between Wagner’s PMC and the Russian Ministry of Defense, which, in particular, is covered publicly.
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