SOLDIERS OF MISFORTUNE

Russia Sending Mercenaries to Hold Ukrainian Frontline as Troop Casualties Pile Up: U.K.

A British intelligence report says the Kremlin is increasingly turning to guns for hire with infantry running short.

With infantry losses stacking up, Russia is increasingly turning to mercenaries to hold key front line sectors in its war in Ukraine, a British defense report said Friday. The U.K.’s defense department said Putin was sending private military contractors from Wagner Group to carry out duties normally performed by enlisted soldiers. “This is a significant change from the previous employment of the group since 2015, when it typically undertook missions distinct from overt, large-scale regular Russian military activity,” the British defense ministry tweeted. “Wagner’s role has probably changed because the Russian [ministry of defense] has a major shortage of combat infantry, however Wagner forces are highly unlikely to be sufficient to make a significant difference in the trajectory of the war.”