On its official Telegram channel, the Ukraine Defense Ministry reported on a train bringing "female convicts" to Russian forces in the country's Donetsk region. Russia Behind Bars, an independent Russian prison watchdog group, has backed Ukraine's allegations, as reported by Newsweek.

The report comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces continue to suffer high rates of soldier casualties in the war. Various Western officials and analysts have estimated that around 200 000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded during the war.

"The enemy uses alternative sources of replenishing manpower," Ukraine's Defense Ministry posted on Telegram. "Last week, the movement of a train for the transportation of prisoners was noted towards the Donetsk region. One of the cars contained female prisoners."

The use of prison inmates by Russia has been documented for several months. The Wagner Group, which consists of Russian mercenaries, has reportedly used large numbers of convicts to fill its ranks. 

Many of the convicts recruited by Wagner were killed, according to reports. Olga Romanova, the head of Russia Behind Bars, said in January that out of 50 000 convicts recruited by the Wagner Group, 40 000 were either dead or missing, while 10 000 were still fighting in Ukraine.

"The female prisoners were taken from the colonies of southern Russia," Romanova said. "They were kept in agriculture, greenhouses and barns for about two months."

Romanova estimated that 100 female convicts have been sent to Ukraine so far. She and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry did not indicate if it was known whether the female prisoners were being sent to Ukraine to fight or to work in some capacity.

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