Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday claimed that at least 21,000 Wagner mercenaries had been killed fighting in Ukraine. He said another 80,000 fighters belonging to the Russian mercenary group had been wounded. "Our troops killed 21,000 Wagnerites in eastern Ukraine alone," he said while speaking to reporters in Kyiv just a week after Wagner - a private military organisation - chief revolted against the top defence leadership of Russia.
Zelensky described the Wagner group fighters as a "motivated staff of the Russian army" and mostly convicts who "had nothing to lose".
While responding to a question on whether he was in danger or feared for his life, he said that it is more dangerous for Putin than for him. Zelensky added that while it is only Russia that wants to kill him, the entire world wants to kill 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," Zelensky was quoted as saying by CNN.
Zelensky’s statements about Wagner’s losses come a week after Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin led a rebellion against Moscow along with his men last month. Wagner troops marched towards Moscow, taking control of military facilities in two Russian cities. Prigozhin said that this rebellion was a response to a Russian military attack on a Wagner camp. Wagner Group’s protest against the Russian military marked an escalation of the ongoing tensions between Wagner and the Russian military.
Prigozhin, a former Kremlin ally, sought the resignation of the Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu. Prigozhin also made allegations against the generals’ handling of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and blamed them for other Russian losses.
During the conference, Zelensky also expressed fears of losing support from the US, citing “dangerous messages coming from some Republicans”. “We have bipartisan support however there are different messages in their circles regarding support for Ukraine. There are messages coming from some Republicans, sometimes dangerous messages, that there may be less support,” Zelensky said.
He also said in a speech on Saturday that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion against the Russian military had "greatly affected Russian power on the battlefield". He added the Wagner group’s revolt could prove beneficial to Ukraine’s offensive against Russia.
Zelensky also said that Ukraine would not rush the counteroffensive since he values human lives and needed to be strategic vis-à-vis troop deployment. He further claimed that Russia is losing the war and that there are no more victories on the Ukrainian battlefield, which is why the Russians are looking for somebody else to blame.
Zelensky added that the most important thing for Ukraine is to not lose bipartisan support.
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