Reports disclosed that out of the 48,000 prisoners recruited, some 17,000 were killed in the fierce and prolonged battle for Bakhmut, a city in Eastern Ukraine, spanning from August 2022 to mid-May 2023.
The recruitment campaign, dubbed "Project 42174" or "Project K," promised prisoners freedom and a pardon after six months of frontline service. Additionally, families of those who died were promised significant compensation, and were compensated nearly 108 billion rubles (about USD 1.47 billion), including funds for funeral expenses.
The scheme primarily targeted inmates from maximum security penal colonies and prisons holding especially dangerous criminals. According to the investigative journalists, 341 out of 501 identified correctional facilities participated in this recruitment, highlighting the extent of the operation across Russia.
Dubbed the "Bakhmut meat grinder" by Wagner’s own officials, the battle claimed over 19,500 of its fighters, with nearly 17,200 being recruited prisoners. This stark terminology reflects the lethal nature of the conflict, which was been one of the bloodiest and longest during Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.
(rt/jh)
Source: IAR