©REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
The incident with a dead British mercenary, who was involved in combat operations in Soledar is not unique, a large number of mercenaries is stationed in this direction, military and political expert Yan Gagin told TASS.
On Wednesday, the press service of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company, reported that one of the missing British citizens in Soledar was found dead. Earlier, the Ukrainian National Police reported that two British mercenaries, Christopher Perry, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 48, were last seen on January 6. The UK nationals left Kramatorsk and went to Soledar, then communication with them was lost.
At the moment, the fate of the second UK citizen is unknown. According to the British media, they were part of a non-governmental organization that was helping to evacuate civilians.
"The case of that mercenary is most likely not an isolated one. Quite a number of mercenaries fought on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces, including in Soledar," he said. "And we will still find their bodies in Soledar and around its environs. We might take in some people who are alive, among those who will be taken prisoner. A mop-up is in progress."
According to him, in such situations, it is difficult to establish the rank of a mercenary, because "most often they have no documents confirming their affiliation with the regular army of any country."
Russian MoD Announces Liberation of Soledar
The strategic town, situated in the Donetsk People's Republic's northeast, has witnessed heavy fighting in recent months. The Soledar Salt Mine - opened in the 19th century and featuring a vast 201 km network of tunnels dug up to 288 meters underground, is the largest salt mine in Europe.
Russia's Ministry of Defense has announced the complete liberation of the town of Soledar, saying the capture of the strategic settlement will make it possible to cut off supply routes used by Ukrainian forces in nearby Artemovsk (renamed Bakhmut by Ukraine's post-coup government in 2016).
According to the MoD's figures, over 700 Ukrainian troops were killed and 300 pieces of weaponry, including three planes and a helicopter, were destroyed in fighting for Soledar over the past three days. Russian air defenses also reportedly shot down nine HIMARS rockets, Olha and Uragan rockets and shells.
"The liberation of the settlement of Soledar, important for the continuation of successful offensive operations in the Donetsk region, was completed on the evening of January 12," MoD spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a briefing on Friday.
The Russian military said the capture of Soledar was made possible thanks to constant strikes by army aviation, rocket and artillery units, pinning down Ukrainian forces and preventing the transfer of reserves, the delivery of ammunition, and blocking attempts to withdraw to new defensive lines. At the same time, Konashenkov said Russian Airborne Forces occupied dominant heights and blockaded the town from the north and south.
According to Konashenkov, the liberation of Soledar will allow Russian forces to block Ukrainian forces in the region and pocket them in a cauldron.
The first days of 2023 witnessed heavy fighting for Soledar between Russian and Ukrainian forces, with DPR head Denis Pushilin announcing Tuesday that the city center was under the control of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company.
DPR lawmaker Vladislav Berdichevsky told Sputnik Thursday that the victory at Soledar opened the door for the liberation of the remainder of the Donbass, and that the battle for the town itself had created a mini-cauldron containing Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries.
Nebenzia: West 'Real Source' of Ukraine Crisis, Its Narrative Against Russia Hypocritical
The collective West is the real source behind the crisis in Ukraine and its narrative blaming Russia for creating threats to international peace is hypocritical because it ignores the West's egregious violations of international law, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said on Thursday.
"International law was repeatedly floated and harmed, well before that, and not by Russia," Nebenzia said during an UN Security Council open debate on the rule of law.
"Let us take some of these examples, the real source of the Ukraine crisis, the hypocrisy of the West and its absolute unwillingness to address the other’s interests."
The collective West has been pushing the narrative that Russia is responsible for threats to international peace and security while ignoring its own egregious violations of international law, Nebenzia said.
The Russian ambassador pointed out that the current crisis goes back to the United States' desire to play the role of a global policeman, which Washington unilaterally took upon itself.
Russia believes that international law was dealt a "fatal blow" when European countries trampled on the guarantees made to the democratically-elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was stripped of his post in violation of the then constitution, he said.
Nebenzia also listed various instances where the collective West failed to uphold international law and was never held accountable for violating the rule of law such as in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Ukraine.
"If Washington or its allies need to invade somewhere or bomb somewhere, it suffices to declare that there are terrorists there," Nebenzia added.
Nebenzia earlier blasted calls to launch a tribunal to investigate Russia's alleged aggression against Ukraine, underscoring the such an initiative would be "ridiculous" and a complete waste of time.
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