The price of Bakhmut. We reveal the staggering toll of Russia’s bloodiest battle since WW2 and Wagner’s inmates recruited to fight it
Yevgeny Prigozhin and his political strategists have spared no effort or expense to create an image of Wagner PMC as an effective and ruthless organisation that accomplishes its objectives at any cost. Behind this facade lie thousands killed in “meat assaults” and their grief-stricken relatives. Their slogan aptly describes their attitude: Likely a reference to the debut album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, “Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!”
","body":"Likely a reference to the debut album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, “Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!”
","isCreated":false,"migrationId":"1646998844495","html":null}">“Our business is death, and business is good.”Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, obtained documents about Wagner PMC’s posthumous payments. The battle for Bakhmut, also known as the “Bakhmut meat grinder,” stands out as Russia’s bloodiest battle since World War II. Mediazona’s analysis of Wagner’s documents provides a detailed account of how the battle unfolded, the extent of losses suffered by the mercenaries, their methods and locations for recruiting prisoners, and the financial expenditures made to compensate the families of those involved.
Key findings
— Mediazona and the BBC Russian Service have obtained access to a part of Wagner PMC’s documents that describe payments to relatives of deceased fighters. They contain over 20,000 records of those killed between January 2022 and August 2023;
— During this period, the PMC spent around 108 billion roubles, or $1.2 billion, on such payments—excluding most salaries and injury compensation;
— We are confident these documents are genuine: we cross-referenced them with our list of the deceased, the Probate Registry containing inheritance cases, messages by Wagner fighters’ relatives online, and leaked police databases;
— Most fighters died in the “Bakhmut meat grinder”: over 19,500 men. 17,000 of them were prisoners pardoned by Vladimir Putin;
— On the bloodiest days, PMC lost over 200 men per day, with a maximum of 213;
— Thanks to the numbering system for dog tags, we were able to establish how many prisoners in total went to war for Prigozhin: at least 48,000. For 43,800, we identified their prisons;
— Prigozhin wasn’t joking when he invited murderers and robbers to join Wagner: two-thirds of the penal colonies where we confirmed recruitment were To ensure clarity, “maximum security” in this context translates the Russian term “strict regime,” which is one level below “special regime,” the equivalent of a Russian supermax prison. The term “penal colony” is used interchangeably with “prison” as it is the general term in the Russian system.
","body":"To ensure clarity, “maximum security” in this context translates the Russian term “strict regime,” which is one level below “special regime,” the equivalent of a Russian supermax prison. The term “penal colony” is used interchangeably with “prison” as it is the general term in the Russian system.
","isCreated":false,"migrationId":"1646998844495","html":null}">maximum security. Prisoners were also taken from special regime, or super maximum security colonies, and, towards the end, even from In Russia, this is a lighter type of a penal colony reserved mostly for non-violent crimes where inmates work and live together in less restrictive confinement.","body":"In Russia, this is a lighter type of a penal colony reserved mostly for non-violent crimes where inmates work and live together in less restrictive confinement.
","isCreated":false,"migrationId":"1646998844495","html":null}">colony-settlements and medical prison facilities;— We built a map of recruitment and its approximate timeline. Wagner employees travelled almost all of Russia—from the European part to the most remote places like Kharp, the Arctic village where Alexei Navalny was murdered, Norilsk, a city in the Siberian Arctic, and Magadan region, in the Far East.
The documents that came into our possession recorded the disbursement of money to relatives of deceased Wagner fighters. This data covers both prisoners and regular mercenaries. Our source gained access to the files in August 2023, after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death.
For each deceased, we know their dog tag number, full name, call sign, date of death, and two amounts. The first—usually smaller—likely pertained to salary arrears at the time of death, while the second was the 5 million rouble, or $55,000 payment stipulated in the contract with Wagner PMC for death in combat.
We don’t have other salary data or data on payments for injuries.
Why we are confident this data is real
42174: A Conveyor of Death
“A white minivan drove onto the prison grounds, from which eight people in civilian clothes emerged. Four with bags and backpacks remained standing at a distance, while the other four walked up to the prisoners lined up outside.
Three burly men had guns (on prison grounds, no less!) tucked into soft waist bags. The fourth was elderly, bald, short, and had a Hero of Russia star on his chest.”
This is how, in August 2022, an inmate of In this article, “IK[number]” is used as the standard abbreviation for “Penal Colony No. X”—the official term for prisons in Russia.
","body":"In this article, “IK[number]” is used as the standard abbreviation for “Penal Colony No. X”—the official term for prisons in Russia.
","isCreated":false,"migrationId":"1646998844495","html":null}">IK2 in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region, described the meeting with Wagner PMC boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. By that point, Wagner recruiters had already visited about two dozen colonies and The exact number is hard to count, as almost all colonies had repeat recruitment drives; more on this below. Including repeat recruitment, about 1,500 people from the first 20 colonies went to war.","body":"The exact number is hard to count, as almost all colonies had repeat recruitment drives; more on this below. Including repeat recruitment, about 1,500 people from the first 20 colonies went to war.
","isCreated":false,"migrationId":"1646998844495","html":null}">taken hundreds of people to war from all over central Russia.The deal with Prigozhin was simple: six months at the front in exchange for a pardon and complete erasure of criminal records, along with monetary allowances and insurance payouts to the family in case of death or severe injury. Over 70 inmates from Rybinsk IK2 joined Wagner, 23 of whom died within a couple of months. Compared to the losses in other colonies, this group could be considered fortunate.
We don’t know who exactly came up with the idea for “Project 42174” isn’t a secret name; it’s engraved on medals given to prisoners who participated in battles for Bakhmut.
","body":"“Project 42174” isn’t a secret name; it’s engraved on medals given to prisoners who participated in battles for Bakhmut.
","isCreated":false,"migrationId":"1646998844495","html":null}">“Project 42174”, Wagner PMC’s nickname for prisoner recruitment. It was probably Prigozhin himself, who in the 1980s was sentenced to 13 years in prison for theft and robbery; while recruiting prisoners, he repeatedly referred to his time in prison. In any case, the involvement of prisoners in the war could not have happened without Vladimir Putin’s approval—only the president can issue pardons.The process of supplying prisoners to the war was straightforward and efficient. Recruiters, either under Prigozhin’s leadership or independently, would visit a colony and propose the deal. Those who accepted were then interviewed and vetted by Wagner PMC representatives, who claimed to evaluate their physical fitness and well-being. It remains unclear if any applicants were rejected during this screening. Even individuals with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis were enlisted for war, albeit they were allocated to a distinct unit called the “Umbrella” detachment, named after the corporation in the Resident Evil franchise known for producing biological weapons.
The prisoners left the colony after receiving identical handwritten certificates stating that they were released by decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On Pardoning” as of a specific date or without one. These decrees are classified and not published anywhere.