Russia-Ukraine war: Almost a week after the Wagner Group made headlines in Russia for staging a dramatic short-lived insurrection against the Putin leadership, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that as many as 21,000 Wagner mercenaries have been killed in Ukraine amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Wagner forces have played a crucial role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and captured the eastern city of Bakhmut. They also played a key role in providing support to pro-separatist movements in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

During a media conference on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that 21,000 ‘Wagnerites’ were killed in eastern Ukraine alone and 80,000 fighters were wounded, according to report by CNN. “These were enormous losses for the Wagner PMC,” he added. This claims have not been verified.

The Ukrainian president also called Wagner forces fighting in Ukraine a ‘motivated staff of the Russian Army’ comprising mostly of convicts who had nothing more to lose. He asserted that Russia was losing the war and had no more victories in Ukraine.

“We need to take advantage of this situation to push the enemy out of our land,” said Zelenskyy.

Last week, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion against the Russian government and multiple videos showed Wagner troops capturing the city of Rostov-on-Don and marching into Voronezh. Subsequently, the head of the private paramilitary group announced to halt his operation against Putin after striking an apparent deal brokered by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.

Meanwhile, while responding to a question as to whether there was a threat to his life, Zelenskyy said that the entire world wants to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“It is more dangerous for Putin than for me, honestly. Because it’s only in Russia that they want to kill me, whereas the entire world wants to kill him.”

He also stressed that Ukraine’s priority is to not lose bipartisan support from the United States, citing some ‘dangerous messages from some Republicans.”

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 2022 and several lives have been lost in the ensuing conflict between the two countries. After Russia’s invasion, the US imposed numerous sanctions on Russian individuals and organisations and provided support to Ukraine for the war.

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