The Russian military formation Wagner PMC has lost more than 30 thousand fighters killed and wounded in the war against Ukraine.

This was announced on February 17 by John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications.

According to U.S. intelligence, almost half of the killed “Wagnerites” have died in battles since mid-December.

Nearly 90% of those killed during this time period were recruited Russian prisoners.

Kirby points out that Wagner PMC relies heavily on convicts from Russian prisons to replenish its ranks. Although the head of this military formation claims to have stopped the recruitment of prisoners.

“These are people who are simply being pulled from places of detention and without preparation, any training, proper armament and organizational command thrown into battle,” Kirby said.

In January, the United States recognized the Russian military formation Wagner PMC as a transnational criminal organization.

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions against the PMC.

The assets of a private military company in the United States were frozen due to assistance in the war against Ukraine. Besides, the partners of the formation and other companies that contribute to the Russian military complex were sanctioned.

Earlier, the United States stated that the so-called Wagner PMC had received a batch of weapons from North Korea to strengthen the Russian invasion forces in Ukraine. This is a sign of the expansion of the role of mercenaries in the war.

Also, Ukrainian air defense has recently disabled a Russian Su-24 bomber. The Russian plane was hit from a man-portable anti-aircraft missile system.

Russian media reported that the bomber allegedly belonged to the so-called PMC Wagner formation. However, the Su-24 had identification insignia of the Russian Aerospace Forces.