Thank you, Mr Chair. Over the past week, we have seen intensive combat as Russia continues its grinding offensive in the Donbas. Russia is suffering extremely heavy casualty rates. Since May last year, between 20 - 30,000 Wagner and regular Russian forces have been killed and wounded in the area around Bakhmut alone - a huge loss of human life for a total territorial advance of approximately just 25km. That is over 800 Russian personnel killed or wounded for each kilometre gained, the vast majority of them Wagner fighters.
In the face of these losses, Wagner Group owner Yevgeny Prigozhin is finding it increasingly difficult to resupply what he has termed the "meat grinder" in eastern Ukraine. Earlier this month, Wagner set up outreach teams based in sports centres in at least 40 locations across Russia. In recent days, masked Wagner recruiters have even given career talks in Moscow high schools, distributing questionnaires entitled "application of a young warrior" to collect the
