Hundreds of Russian Wagner mercenaries killed by recent Ukrainian strikes, says Luhansk governor
The destroyed Zhdanov Guest House in Luhansk Oblast (Photo:Operativno_ZSU/Telegram)
Hundreds of Russian Wagner mercenaries died before even reaching the front line over the past 10 days, Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haydayreported on Telegram on Dec. 13.
"’Cotton puffs’ due to smoking among the ‘Wagnerites’ occurs either in the headquarters or in the barracks — over the past week-and-a-half, hundreds of ‘Wagnerites’ have died before even reaching the front line," the message says.
“Cotton” is now used in common parlance in Ukrainian to refer to an explosion caused by a Ukrainian attack. The governor’s statement also refers to the common Ukrainian joke that such explosions are caused by a carelessly dropped cigarette end.
Hayday said the Russians are taking out equipment from the mines of Luhansk Oblast, and the unemployed miners will now likely end up at the front.
Hayday said that a large number of men from the occupied part of the region are either missing, because the Russians do not try to recover their corpses from the battlefield, or have returned crippled.
In addition, some settlements are still closed for entry and exit.
On Dec. 10, the Russian troops claimed that the Ukrainian Defense Forces attacked a private hotel in Kadiyivka (Stakhanov), Luhansk Oblast.
According to the Russian media, the building of the hotel was destroyed due to the strike of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from a HIMARS rocket launcher. The hotel in question is the Zhdanov Guest House, where members of the Wagner PMC were residing.
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