“Our intelligence indicates that Wagner has suffered high casualties in Ukraine, especially and not surprisingly among young and inexperienced fighters,” the US official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The European Union has imposed sanctions on the Wagner group, accusing it of secret operations on behalf of the Kremlin.
Read more: Russian missile hits near nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, authorities say
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A Russian missile has struck near a nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, authorities say
President Vladimir Putin said the group does not represent the Russian state, but that private military contractors have the right to work anywhere in the world as long as they do not violate Russian law. Story continues below ad The US official pointed to recent social media videos that appeared to show Yevgeny Prigozhin, who the US Treasury Department and the European Union have said the Wagner group is linked to, trying to recruit prisoners. Trending Stories
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The video appears to show Prigozhin trying to recruit Russian prisoners as well as Tajiks, Belarusians and Armenians. Reuters has not independently verified the social media videos. 2:14 Russia may blame China for aid in the invasion of Ukraine Group Wagner fighters have been accused by human rights groups and the Ukrainian government of committing war crimes in Syria and eastern Ukraine since 2014. In July, British military intelligence reported that Russia was using Wagner to bolster front-line forces in the conflict in Ukraine. Russia has suffered between 70,000 and 80,000 casualties, either killed or wounded, since its invasion of Ukraine began, the Pentagon said last month. Story continues below ad Ukraine expanded its commitment to newly recaptured territory on Monday as troops marched further east into areas vacated by Russia, paving the way for a possible offensive against occupation forces in the Donbass region. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman)
