With the Russian forces in Ukraine depleted, the Wagner mercenary group has sought to recruit convicted felons to join the war, but some have declined, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
The mercenary group is looking to pad its force by 1,500,"but many are refusing," the official told reporters on Monday afternoon."Our information indicates that Wagner has been suffering high losses in Ukraine, especially and unsurprisingly among young and inexperienced fighters."
DOD officials have infrequently provided death counts for either side of the war, citing difficulties in tracking such data, though most recently, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told reporters on Aug. 8 that the Russians were in the"ballpark" of having"probably taken 70,000-80,000 casualties," a total that included those killed or injured in the war.
Despite Russia's high death toll and apparent need for more soldiers, Kremlin officials have repeatedly declined to call up their reserve forces. If they choose to do this, it would likely mean admitting to the Russian people that there is a war going on, which they have labeled as a"special military operation," and that it's not going well.
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