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

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.”