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Written question asked by John Healey (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 November 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 November 2023 (named day). It was answered by James Heappey (Conservative) on Monday, 13 November 2023 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Russia: Private Military and Security Companies

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of mercenaries serving in Russian private military companies who have (a) been killed in action, (b) been wounded and (c) deserted their post since February 2022.

Answer

We estimate that approximately 302,000 Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded, and tens of thousands more have already deserted since the start of the conflict. The number of personnel killed serving in Russian private military companies (PMCs) is not clear. Russia have utilised several PMCs and volunteer units in Ukraine to augment Russian military forces, but the deaths of personnel from these organisations are not reflected in Russian official military death tolls.

We also estimate that over 7,117 Russian armoured vehicles, including nearly 2,475 main battle tanks, 93 fixed wing aircraft, 132 helicopters, 320 unmanned aerial vehicles, 16 naval vessels of all classes, and over 1,300 artillery systems of all types have been destroyed since the start of the conflict.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
677
Session
2023-24
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Death Desertion Injuries Russia Private military and security companies
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk