Fallen Ukrainian troops will be sent back to ‘homeland’, Wagner boss says in video clip
KVIY (AFP)- Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia’s Wagner Group mercenary unit, has released another video that he believes is a coffin containing the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers who were being deported to occupied Kiev.
Dressed in full military gear, Prigogine says in the video:
“We will send another batch of Ukrainian military fighters home. They fought bravely and died, so the newest trucks will bring them home.”
The latest video was released a day after Prigozhin posted a clip on Friday claiming his group “virtually besieged” the town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
Prigozhin, whose Wagner group led Russia’s month-long offensive against Bakhmut, has repeatedly praised the Ukrainian military as a worthy and capable enemy. Ukrainian forces come under increasing pressure from Russia defending Bakhmut, UK says
Ukrainian forces defending Bakhmut are facing increasing pressure from Russian forces, British military intelligence said Saturday, with heavy fighting raging in and around the eastern city.
Russian artillery fired the last from Bakhmut on Friday, aiming to complete the siege of the besieged Ukrainian city and bring Moscow closer to its first major victory in six months after the bloodiest battle of the war. bombarded the route of Reuters has confirmed that Russia has been carrying out heavy artillery fire on a route west from Bakhmut, apparently trying to prevent Ukrainian forces from entering or leaving the city. A bridge in the neighboring town of Kromové was damaged by Russian tank fire.
Evgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia’s Wagner Mercenary Corps, said in a video that Bakhmut was “virtually surrounded” by his forces, leaving Kiev’s forces the only way out.
Russia’s defence minister Shoigu pays rare visit inspecting troops on Ukraine front line
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has paid a rare visit to Russia’s forces, carrying out an inspection of the front line in eastern Ukraine, the ministry said Saturday, as fighting rages around the eastern city of Bakhmut.
In a statement published on Telegram, the ministry said “the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, inspected the forward command post of one of the formations of the Eastern Military District in the South Donetsk direction”, without specifying the exact place or time.
In video published by the ministry, Shoigu is seen awarding medals to Russian military personnel and touring a ruined town with the Eastern Military District’s commander, Colonel-General Rustam Muradov.
Russia’s top military chiefs have visited the front line in Ukraine only sparingly since Russia invaded the country in what it calls a “special military operation” a year ago.
US attorney general in surprise visit to Ukraine, vows to hold ‘Russian war criminals accountable’
US Attorney General Merrick Garland made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Friday and vowed to hold “Russian war criminals accountable” for their actions. The visit was not announced in time for security reasons.
Garland said at the conference that the U.S. supports Ukrainian war crimes investigators as they collect and catalog evidence from bomb sites such as hospitals, homes and schools, exhume mass graves and investigate human remains. He said he was. No more,” said a transcript of his statement by the Justice Department.
Since the aggression began a year ago, Russia has committed its greatest atrocities since World War II. signed an agreement to step up efforts to bring Russian war criminals to justice.
