In March 2022, Wagner was thought to have sent an initial force of just over 1,000. But UK officials say that number has now grown to more than 20,000 - around 10% of the total Russian forces on the ground.
Wagner's inflated ranks are linked to its targeted recruitment of convicts in Russian prisons. UK officials say open source estimates suggest that the numbers of convicts in Russian prisons fell by more than 23,000 in the two months leading up to November 2022 - the period in which it was recruiting.
