The official told reporters in Washington anonymously that the men had “no vehicles or heavy weapons” and had come to strengthen Russian troops. The official says he has observed relocations from areas such as Syria and Libya to the east. Donbass There Moscow began a new phase of its offensive.

However, according to him, it is difficult to estimate exactly how many of these “10 to 20,000” men belong to the private sector. Wagner, And how many militants are there from Libya or Syria. At the end of March, the British Ministry of Defense pointed out ” Over 1,000 Wagner mercenaries, including organization officials, were sent to carry out “war operations” in eastern Ukraine.

New attack

The Wagner group, which is said to be close to Vladimir Putin, and its paramilitary forces are suspected of abuse in Mali, Libya and Syria. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky said on Monday that Russia had launched a major offensive in the region, a new strategic objective for Russian forces following their withdrawal from the Kyiv region. Part of this Ukrainian territory has already been in the hands of pro-Russian separatist forces since 2014.

A European official in Washington estimates that by leading the new offensive, Russian troops will control the Lukansk region, part of the Donbass and a small ground bridge over the Zaporizhia region “within four to six months.” He said he expected the “complete destruction” of the strategic port city of Mariupol in the Sea of ​​Azov, which was besieged by Russian troops in early March. The Russian military has accused the Ukrainian city of “fearing it could be worse than Putsa”. Assassinated civiliansHe pointed out.

The official finally predicted the possible outcome of the talks between the Russians and the Ukrainians “in the autumn of 2022”, which will find a solution to the conflict before winter.