Wagner Commander: Over 20,000 Russian Soldiers Killed in Bakhmut Battle

The commander of the Wagner mercenary group admitted that "the hands of Russian forces are stained with the blood of civilians," yet Russians have lost over 20,000 soldiers in the battle for Bakhmut. "Yevgeny Prigozhin" stated that about half of the Wagner mercenaries who died in the eastern Ukrainian city were Russian prisoners sent to fight. According to the Associated Press, U.S. officials confirmed on Wednesday that the Wagner commander's figures align with their estimates of increasing Russian casualties. The White House estimated that since December of last year, Russian forces have suffered 100,000 casualties in the Ukraine war, of which 20,000 are dead. However, the Kremlin has rejected these figures. Previously, the Wagner group, which has led the Russian front in capturing Bakhmut in recent months, threatened to withdraw its forces from Bakhmut if Moscow does not send them more ammunition. Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has repeatedly accused the Russian armed forces of insufficient support for his men, stated on Tuesday that the 72nd Brigade of the Russian army abandoned their positions in part of the city of Bakhmut and fled. In comparison, the total official casualties of Soviet forces in the 1979-1989 Afghanistan war are estimated at 15,000. Earlier this month, his media team released a video of him shouting, cursing, and pointing to about 30 uniformed corpses on the ground, claiming they were Wagner fighters who died in one day. He claimed that the Russian Ministry of Defense deprived his men of ammunition and threatened to withdraw from the Bakhmut battle. Prigozhin's admission of heavy losses seemingly reflects the impact of Ukraine's strategy, as Ukrainian officials have stated that their goal in Bakhmut is to "exhaust" and "force the retreat of Russian forces," "divert them from protecting territory," and "buy time for more Western weapons and ammunition to arrive" and "complete training."