Wagner PMC will continue to recruit convicts

This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Prigozhin said that the recruitment of Russian convicts has been "completely stopped" and that all obligations are being fulfilled. According to analysts, Wagner PMC will continue to recruit from prisons, albeit in a more limited number.

ISW notes that the recruitment of prisoners has slowed down over the past few months, which is confirmed by statistics from the Federal Penitentiary Service, which shows that between November 2022 and January 2023, the reduction in the number of prisoners in Russia stabilized.

This is in line with the general trend of gradual replacement of Wagner mercenaries with regular Russian troops around Bakhmut.

• According to British intelligence analysts, Russia has reduced the use of Russian convicts at the front, and Wagner PMC is recruiting militants less intensively.