Russian Private Army Wagner Reports Over 20,000 Troop Deaths in Bakhmut Battle.

The head of the Russian private army Wagner claims that over 20,000 of his troops died in the battle for Bakhmut, with about half of those being Russian convicts recruited to fight in the 15-month-old war. This figure is in stark contrast to Moscow's widely disputed claims that just over 6,000 of its troops were killed throughout the war as of January. Analysts believe the nine-month fight for Bakhmut alone has killed tens of thousands of soldiers, among them Russian convicts who reportedly received little training before being sent to the front.