Kyiv
CNN
—
Wagner Group fighters have become expendable infantry in the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, but Ukrainian military intelligence documents obtained by CNN show how effective they have been. Bakhmut city – and how hard they fight.
Wagner, a private military contractor run by oligarch Evgeny Prigozhin, has been very prominent on the front lines in recent weeks, always quick to claim credit for Russian progress. His Wagner fighters are heavily involved in the capture of Soledar and the surrounding area, a few miles northeast of Bahmut.
A Ukrainian report dated December 2022 concludes that the Wagner represents a unique threat at close range, while inflicting extraordinary casualties. “The deaths of thousands of Wagner soldiers are of no consequence to Russian society,” the report asserts.
“No assault force will withdraw without orders. Any unauthorized or uninjured withdrawal of a team will be executed on the spot.”
A call intercept obtained by a Ukrainian source and shared with CNN also shows the ruthlessness of the battlefield. A soldier is heard speaking of another who tried to surrender to the Ukrainians.
“The Wagnerians caught him and cut off his fucking balls,” says the soldier.
CNN is unable to independently authenticate calls allegedly made in November.
Wounded Wagner fighters are often left on the battlefield for hours, according to Ukrainian assessments. “Since the assault infantry’s main task is to continue the attack until the objective is achieved, they are not allowed to carry the wounded from the battlefield. If the attack fails, retreat is also allowed only at night. .”
Despite the brutal indifference to casualties, as demonstrated by Prigozhin himself, Ukrainian analysis finds Wagner’s tactics to be “effective against the poorly trained mobilized forces that make up the bulk of Russia’s ground forces. It is the only one of its kind.”
It suggests that the Russian army may even have adapted its tactics to be more Wagnerian, stating that “instead of the classic battalion tactical group of the Russian army, the assault force was proposed. ing.
This would change the Russians’ traditional reliance on large, mechanized forces.
On the ground, some mobilization units are considering switching to Wagner, according to Ukrainian intelligence call intercepts. says so. So if I serve, I’d rather serve there. ”
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According to the Ukrainian report, Wagner used rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and utilized real-time drones, which the report described as a “key element”, to target mobile groups of no more than about 10 people. He said he was deploying his troops.
Another tool Wagner’s soldiers have, according to documents, is the use of communication equipment manufactured by Motorola.
Motorola told CNN it has stopped all sales to Russia and closed its operations there.
The tens of thousands of prisoners recruited by Wagner often form the first wave of attacks and inflict the heaviest casualties.
Followed by more experienced fighters with thermal imaging and night vision equipment.
For Ukrainians, their own drone intelligence is important to prevent trenches from being overwhelmed by grenade attacks. The document describes an incident in December when drones spotted the advancing Wagner group, allowing Ukrainian defenders to eliminate them before the Ukrainian military could launch their RPGs. detailing.
If Wagner’s forces are successful in securing a position, artillery support can dig foxholes to consolidate their gains, but these foxholes are highly vulnerable to attack in open ground. . Again, according to Ukrainian intercepts, coordination between Wagner and the Russian military is often lacking. In one of his intercepted calls (which also cannot be verified), a soldier told his father that his unit had accidentally destroyed Wagner’s vehicle.
Prigozhin has repeatedly claimed that his fighters were responsible for capturing the town of Soledar and nearby settlements last week, the first Russian military gain in months. The unit was not involved in the Soledar raid,” he claimed.
Wagner’s acting is a path to more resources for Prigogine and contributes to his ongoing battle with the Russian military establishment, which he has frequently criticized as incompetent and corrupt.
According to British intelligence, the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, has ordered a better mobilization of soldiers. Prigogine replied, “War is a time for the active and brave, not for the shaven.”
Commenting on the new Gerasimov restrictions, the UK Ministry of Defense said on Monday: Gerasimov’s preference for mostly minor regulations likely confirms the concerns of many of his skeptics in Russia.
Gerasimov was appointed commander-in-chief of Russia’s so-called “special military operations” in Ukraine earlier this month.
Unless the Russian Defense Ministry performs well, Prigogine will soon catch up and demand more resources from Wagner.
The group appears to be able to acquire weapons through other means as well. U.S. officials said last week that Wagner had procured weapons from North Korea. “Last month, North Korea delivered infantry rockets and missiles used by Wagner to Russia,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
Prigozhin is not devoid of ambition. When he stood at Soleder last week, he declared that Wagner was probably “the most experienced army in the world today.”
He claimed that the military already has multiple launch rocket systems, its own air defenses and artillery.
Prigogine also subtly compares the top-down rigidity of Wagner and the Russian military, saying that “everyone on the ground is listening. The leader will consult with the commander.”
“That is why Wagner PMC has moved forward and will continue to move forward.”
Two months ago, Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, likened Prigozhin’s growing influence to that of Grigori Rasputin at the court of Tsar Nicholas II. ‘Putin desperately needs military power,’ he said current time tv.
“It has a negative, demonic charisma. [Prigozhin], and in some ways, this charisma can be matched by Putin. Putin needs him now, in this position, in this form. ”
Prigogine seemed intrigued by the comparison to Rasputin, the mysterious figure who cured the emperor’s son of hemophilia. But in a comment published this weekend by his company Concord, he had his own typical twist on it.
“Unfortunately, I do not stop the blood flow. I make the enemies of my homeland bleed. Not by spells, but by direct contact with them.”
