Wagner PMC fighters showed their effectiveness in the war in Ukraine, especially during the assault on city quarters, CNN writes with reference to Ukrainian intelligence document issued in December and found out with journalists. Mercenaries suffer heavy losses, however, as stated in the document, their tactics can adopt part of the regular army of Russia.
During the assaults, mercenaries are not considered losses, and execution is provided for retreat. “A retreat without an order or without a wound is punishable by execution on the spot,” CNN quoted the intelligence document. The decryption of radio interception is also given. In it, a soldier tells how the fighters of the Wagner PMC caught his colleague, who tried to surrender to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and cut off his genitals. The authenticity of the conversation has not been confirmed, CNN notes.
Mercenaries are prohibited from taking the wounded from the battlefield – the detachment should advance until it completes the task. Because of this, the wounded often remain on the battlefield for several hours. If the task was not fulfilled, the retreat is allowed only at night. “The death of thousands of Wagner soldiers does not matter for Russian society,” the document says.
When conducting assault actions, Wagner PMC uses detachments of about ten people. They are armed, including RPGs and in real time receive information mined using reconnaissance drones. Ukrainian intelligence calls these drones “key element.” For communication, soldiers use Motorola equipment.
The first to storm are mercenaries recruited in prisons. Losses in their ranks reach 80%. After them, more experienced and better equipped fighters enter the battle – they have thermal imagers and night vision devices.
If the assault detachments manage to take the line, they are digging on it with the support of artillery, but these positions are vulnerable to enemy artillery. The document notes that mercenaries often lack coordination with a regular army. In another published radio interception (its authenticity is also not confirmed), the Russian military tells how his unit destroyed the Wagner PMC.
In Ukrainian intelligence, it is believed that the tactics of Wagner PMCs are best suited for most Russian units equipped with poorly prepared soldiers called on mobilization. Perhaps the Russian army will begin to apply the techniques of mercenaries, the document says.